Abstract: A method for detecting an ingredient in a food product includes establishing a spectral signature in a Raman spectrum obtained from a chemical substance; allowing a food sample solution obtained from a food product to come to contact with a first nano-scale surface structure in a first sensor, wherein the first sensor comprises a substrate, wherein the nano-scale surface structure comprises a plurality of columns over the substrate or a plurality of holes in the substrate; illuminating the food sample solution and the first nano-scale surface structure on the first sensor by a laser beam; scattering the laser beam by the food sample solution and the first nano-scale surface structure to produce a scattered light; obtaining a first Raman spectrum from the scattered light using a spectral analyzer; and identifying the spectral signature in the first Raman spectrum to determine the existence of the chemical substance in the food product.