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Juárez ID, Kurouski D. Near-infrared excitation Raman spectroscopy of colored fabric contaminated with body fluids. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19080. [PMID: 39154052 PMCID: PMC11330518 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70016-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Confirmatory identification of dyes in the physical pieces of evidence, such as hair and fabric, is critically important in forensics. This information can be used to demonstrate the link between a person of interest and a crime scene. High performance liquid chromatography is broadly used for dye analysis. However, this technique is destructive and laborious. This problem can be overcome by near-Infrared excitation Raman spectroscopy (NIeRS), non-invasive and non-destructive technique that can be used to determine chemical structure of highly fluorescent dyes. Analyzed fabric materials often possess body fluid stains, which may obscure the accuracy of NIeRS-based identification of dyes. In this study, we investigate the extent to which fabric contamination with body fluids can alter the accuracy of NIeRS. Our results showed that NIeRS coupled with partial-least squared discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) enabled on average 97.6% accurate identification of dyes on fabric contaminated with dry blood, urine and semen. We also found that NIeRS could be used to identify blood, urine and semen on such fabric with 99.4% accuracy. Furthermore, NIeRS could be used to differentiate between wet and dry blood, as well as reveal the presence of blood on washed fabric. These results indicate that NIeRS coupled with PLS-DA could be used as a robust and reliable analytical approach in forensic analysis of fabric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac D Juárez
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Bober S, Kurouski D. Near-infrared excitation Raman analysis of Underlying colorants on redyed fabric. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2024; 16:1069-1073. [PMID: 38275282 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay02252h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Forensic analysis of fabric is often critically important to establish a relationship between a suspect and a crime scene or demonstrate the absence of such connections. Most of commercially available fabric is colored with primarily organic colorants. These dye substances are highly fluorescent, which limits the use to conventional Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of the colorant content of fabric. At the same time, elucidation of the chemical composition of dyes in fabrics can be used to advance the importance of this physical piece of evidence for forensic research. Our recent findings showed that near-infrared excitation Raman spectroscopy (NIeRS) could be used to overcome this limitation. However, it remains unclear to what extent NIeRS could be used to identify the presence of several different colorants on fabric, as well as utilize for the analysis of dyes on fabric contaminated with paints. In this study, we utilized a hand-held NIeRS instrument to ex-amine re-colored cotton fabric and cotton fabric with household paints applied on it. Our results indicate that NIeRS coupled with chemometrics highly accurately identify the presence of several colorants on cotton. We also found that the presence of paint fully obscures the ability of NIeRS to extract the information about the dye content of the fabric. These results expand our understanding of the use of NIeRS in the forensic analysis of colored fabric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Bober
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
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Peterson M, Kurouski D. Non-Destructive Identification of Dyes on Fabric Using Near-Infrared Raman Spectroscopy. Molecules 2023; 28:7864. [PMID: 38067594 PMCID: PMC10708237 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Fabric is a commonly found piece of physical evidence at most crime scenes. Forensic analysis of fabric is typically performed via microscopic examination. This subjective approach is primarily based on pattern recognition and, therefore, is often inconclusive. Most of the fabric material found at crime scenes is colored. One may expect that a confirmatory identification of dyes can be used to enhance the reliability of the forensic analysis of fabric. In this study, we investigated the potential of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy (NIRS) in the confirmatory, non-invasive, and non-destructive identification of 15 different dyes on cotton. We found that NIRS was able to resolve the vibrational fingerprints of all 15 colorants. Using partial-squared discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), we showed that NIRS enabled ~100% accurate identification of dyes based on their vibrational signatures. These findings open a new avenue for the robust and reliable forensic analysis of dyes on fabric directly at crime scenes. Main conclusion: a hand-held Raman spectrometer and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) approaches enable highly accurate identification of dyes on fabric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzi Peterson
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA;
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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Chauhan S, Sharma S. Applications of Raman spectroscopy in the analysis of biological evidence. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2023:10.1007/s12024-023-00660-z. [PMID: 37878163 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-023-00660-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
During the past few decades, Raman spectroscopy has progressed and captivated added attention in the field of science. However, the application of Raman spectroscopy is not limited to the field of forensic science and analytical chemistry; it is one of the emerging spectroscopic techniques, utilized in the field of forensic science which in turn could be a supporting tool in the law and justice system. The advantage of Raman spectroscopy over the other conventional techniques is that it is rapid, reliable, and non-destructive in nature with minimal or no sample preparation. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of evidence from biological and non-biological origins could easily be performed by using Raman spectroscopy. The forensic domain is highly complex with multidisciplinary branches, and therefore a plethora of techniques are utilized for the detection, identification, and differentiation of innumerable pieces of evidence for the purpose of law and justice. Herein, a systematic review is carried out on the application of Raman spectroscopy in the realm of forensic biology and serology considering its usefulness in practical perspectives. This review paper highlights the significance of modern techniques, including micro-Raman spectroscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and paper-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, in the field of Raman spectroscopy. These techniques have demonstrated notable advancements in terms of their applications and capabilities. Furthermore, to comprehensively capture the progress in the development of Raman spectroscopy, all the published papers which could be retrieved from the available databases from the year 2007 to 2022 were incorporated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samiksha Chauhan
- LNJN NICFS, School of Forensic Sciences, National Forensic Science University, An Institute of National Importance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, Delhi Campus, Delhi, 110085, India
| | - Sweety Sharma
- LNJN NICFS, School of Forensic Sciences, National Forensic Science University, An Institute of National Importance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, Delhi Campus, Delhi, 110085, India.
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Juarez I, Kurouski D. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy hair analysis after household contamination. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2023; 15:4996-5001. [PMID: 37609869 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay01219k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Trace evidence found at crime scenes is rarely in an unsullied condition. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a modern analytical technique that can be used for the detection of artificial hair colourants (S. Higgins and D. Kurouski, Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Enables Highly Accurate Identification of Different Brands, Types and Colors of Hair Dyes, Talanta, 2022, 251, 123762). However, contaminants pose a problem to collecting accurate spectra from the dyes. In this study, we sought to analyze how the different physical properties of contaminants can influence the collected spectra. We utilized 11 household substances of varying viscosity and opacity to contaminate hair dyed with permanent black or semi-permanent blue dyes. We discovered that contaminant opacity generally does not affect the spectral quality but that high contaminant viscosity does and that acidic substances could destroy the colourant's spectral identity altogether. Cleaning the contaminated hair with a water rinse allowed the underlying colourant to be identified in 21 out of 22 cases. Overall, this study provided a clearer understanding of the capabilities and limitations of SERS in forensic hair analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Juarez
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
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Zhang Y, Xu B, Wang Z, Yang R, Zhu L, He W, Zhou G, Li J, Li J, Han Z, Hong Y, Wang S. Surface-enhanced Raman imaging through sprayed probes for the application in chemical visualization of methamphetamine within fingerprints. Anal Bioanal Chem 2023:10.1007/s00216-023-04757-w. [PMID: 37258691 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-023-04757-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
For fingerprint-involved forensic investigations, cyanoacrylates and inorganic nanophosphors are mostly used for fingerprint visualization. However, methods to simultaneously report fingerprint images and the corresponding specific chemical information have yet to be realized. In this work, chemical visualization of the analytes in fingerprints is achieved through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) measurements with the aid of spray-dispersed gold nanorods (AuNRs). The optimal coverage of AuNRs was studied by theoretical simulations and experimental operations. A rapid sampling of fingerprints with the chemical of interest was developed by tuning the spray parameters. In particular, the SERS imaging of methamphetamine in fingerprint latent was attempted by addressing the SERS spectral features of methamphetamine. This chemical visualization method reflects both the graphical and chemical characteristics of fingerprints in a single batch measurement, in which methamphetamine can be detected and mapped at the concentration of 10-5 M. The data processing approach was also modified by employing relevant logical judgments. The improved SERS images with sharpened patterns of fingerprints were obtained by involving the scored multi-peak judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yating Zhang
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Buyi Xu
- National Anti-Drug Laboratory Sichuan Regional Center, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zehua Wang
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongji Yang
- National Anti-Drug Laboratory Sichuan Regional Center, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Leixia Zhu
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei He
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoyun Zhou
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiujuan Li
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhui Li
- Suining Ruijiexing Technology Co., Ltd., Suining, 629001, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiwei Han
- Bomin Electronics Co., Ltd., Meizhou, 514000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Hong
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shouxu Wang
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China.
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