The measurement of ethanol and toxic alcohol (methanol and isopropanol) strengths in beverages and spirits is crucial for health reasons but also for the identification of adulterated products. Many methodologies have been reported in the literature, based mainly on chromatographic and on spectroscopic techniques. Chromatographic techniques are laborious and time-consuming, while spectroscopic techniques are rapid and need no special sample pretreatment. All techniques were only applied to off-line or at-line manner. In the present work, Raman spectroscopy was used for fast and non-destructive measurements. A “through the container” method was developed for a non-invasive analysis, i.e., analysis without unsealing the bottles. This method, coupled with a miniature portable Raman, can serve for in-line measurements in a production line. The optimum laser focus for maximum spirit signal and minimum glass-wall signal was investigated. Calibration curves for the alcohols of interest were constructed and validated. The limits of detections were calculated and proved to be lower than the legitimate values. The influences of the liquor color and the bottle color, shape, and thickness were checked. Twenty-eight alcoholic products were studied. The concentrations found were compared against the nominal values (from the bottle labels).

Raman microspectroscopy and X-ray microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) were used for assessment of the quality of the femur and tibia bones in apolipoprotein-deficient mice compared to control littermates. The cortical and trabecular bone was investigated separately. Raman spectra revealed no differences in the bioapatite-to-collagenous matrix ratio of the cortical bone. The quantities of calcium and collagen, which were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively, were also found to be equal in the two groups. Density and morphometric parameters, which were measured using micro-CT, verified the cortical mineral stability. Bone quality indices were measured using Raman spectra. A decreased collagen crosslink (trivalent-to-divalent) ratio revealed delayed maturation of the collagen network. Such a decrease has been reported in the literature to be connected to decreased bone strength. For the trabecular bone, micro-CT revealed severe osteoporosis in the knock-out group, which was evident from a decreased mineral density, trabecular thickness and increased bone surface/volume ratio. The trabecular bone was not accessible for Raman spectroscopy. According to these results, the cortical and trabecular femur bone is expected to exhibit proneness to fracturing, each for a different reason. A combination of the two techniques was regarded as necessary for an overall assessment of bone quality.