Abstract: In an embodiment, a bloom engine is created that can detect the formation of both fat bloom and sugar bloom in a chocolate product. A Raman spectrometer is used to generate a first or reference spectrum of a chocolate product. Based on peaks of the spectrum known to be associated with sugar and peaks of the spectrum known to be associated with fat, a ratio of sugar to fat for the chocolate product is determined based on the reference spectrum. Later, a second spectrum is generated from the chocolate product, and a ratio of sugar to fat is similarly determined for the second spectrum. Changes in the ratios between the two samples are used to detect fat or sugar bloom. Other features of the bloom engine including removing or reducing bloom from the chocolate product using a laser associated with the spectrometer and applying a design to the chocolate product in bloom using the laser.

Abstract: Methodology of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with the use of a rough Al substrate to image the biochemical composition of only the plasma membrane (and substantially without the contribution, to the SERS, of the contents of the inside of an imaged cell, thereby differentiating one from another) of intact cancerous cells and intact normal non-cancerous cells. The judiciously generated roughness of the Al substrate resulted in formation of many hot spots that provided a uniform membrane signal. The peak ratios of the resulting Raman signals specific to the cell-membrane only exhibited heterogeneous properties of the membrane with different lipid and protein concentrations at different spatial locations and are identified and can be used as novel cancer biomarkers. The proposed methodology may be extended to studying the nanoscale composition of lipid rafts and protein aggregates in intact biological cells.

Abstract: Method for increasing efficiency of a pathogen inactivation via enhancing UVC light absorption at such pathogen by multiple diffuse scattering of the light at a wall defining a substantially closed volume, thereby increasing a number of angles at which the pathogen is being irradiate as compared with a direct irradiation of the pathogen with a beam of such light.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a bloom engine is created that can detect the formation of both fat bloom and sugar bloom in a chocolate product. A Raman spectrometer is used to generate a first or reference spectrum of a chocolate product. Based on peaks of the spectrum known to be associated with sugar and peaks of the spectrum known to be associated with fat, a ratio of sugar to fat for the chocolate product is determined based on the reference spectrum. Later, a second spectrum is generated from the chocolate product, and a ratio of sugar to fat is similarly determined for the second spectrum. Changes in the ratios between the two samples are used to detect fat or sugar bloom. Other features of the bloom engine including removing or reducing bloom from the chocolate product using a laser associated with the spectrometer and applying a design to the chocolate product in bloom using the laser.