Study of Phenylalanine NIR Spectra for Phenylketonuria Determination

The aim of this study is to investigate the spectroscopic characteristics of phenylalanine in the NIR spectral range as a preliminary step towards the development of an in vivo method for the determination of phenylalanine in the blood of newborn babies. The first steps in this study included in vitro experiments with mixtures of phenylalanine, saline, and whole blood. Results showed absorption bands in the NIR spectral range that are assigned to overtones of C-H, N-H, and O-H in the range of 1400 to 1700 nm, which together with the melanin absorption lines in the visible spectra range, demonstrate the potential of NIR/VIS spectroscopy as an inexpensive, noninvasive, rapid, and accurate alternative to routine methods for determining of phenylketonuria.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the spectroscopic characteristics of phenylalanine in the NIR spectral range as a preliminary step towards developing an in vivo method for determining phenylalanine in newborn babies' blood. The results of in vitro experiments showed absorption bands in the NIR spectral range assigned to overtones of C-H, N-H, and O-H, demonstrating the potential of NIR/VIS spectroscopy as an alternative to routine methods for determining phenylketonuria.