Portable visible and near-infrared spectrophotometer for triglyceride measurements

An affordable and portable machine is required for the practical use of visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy. A pot-table fruit tester comprising a Vis-NIR spectrophotometer was modified for use in the transmittance mode and employed to quantify triglyceride levels in serum in combination with a chemometric, analysis. Transmittance spectra collected in the 600- to 1100-nm region were subjected to a Partial least-squares regression analysis and leave-out cross-validation to develop a chemometrics model for predicting triglyceride concentrations in serum. The model yielded a coefficient of determination in cross-validation (R-VAL(2)) of 0.783 1 with a standard error of cross-validation (SECV) of 43.68 mg/dl. The detection limit or the model was 148.79 mg/dl. Furthermore, masked samples predicted by the model yielded a coefficient of determination in prediction (R-PRED(2)) of 0.6856 with a standard error of prediction (SEP) and detection limit of 61.54 and 159.38 mg/dl, respectively. The portable Vis-NIR spectrophotometer may prove convenient for the measurement of triglyceride concentrations ill serum, although before practical use there remain obstacles, which are discussed.