Component analysis of an excitation-emission matrix of water samples using PARAFAC analysis

Excitation-Emission Matrix (EEM) can be used in a wide variety of applications, especially in the analysis of environmental water. EEM provides the following information; (1) determining of the origin of environmental water and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), (2) monitoring of the component variation from influences such as climate patterns or local weather.

Environmental water typically contains a variety of fluorescent materials (humic acid, fulvic acid, protein, amino acid, chlorophyll, synthetic compounds etc.) and analysis using EEM includes several fluorescence peaks, resulting in very complicated data which may be difficult to interpret.

Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) is a type of multivariable analysis, which can be used to extract the components from mixed 3-D fluorescence data. Jasco has developed an advanced solution using PARAFAC, which can help to interpret the complicated data found in the EEM.

As an example of component analysis by PARAFAC, this application note shows the 3-D fluorescence measurement and component analysis results of a mixed sample (Tryptophan, humic acid and folic acid).