Preliminary Examinations for the Identification of U.S. Domestic and International Cotton Fibers by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract:Cotton is and has been a large cash crop in the United States and abroad for many years. Part of the widespread interest and utility of this product is due to its attractive chemical and physical properties for use in textiles. The textile industry could benefit from the presentation of a quick, reliable method to classify U.S. from foreign cottons so that the appropriate tariffs can be levied for non-American cottons. In addition, there is some interest in avoiding cotton identity theft. Thus, an accurate and precise instrumental method would be of interest to correctly identify the country of origin of cotton. This study provides an analytical method to identify domestic and foreign cotton fibers using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with principal component analysis (PCA). Samples from American cottons were evaluated along with a representative amount of international samples. The results provide a proof of concept that indicates that PCA analysis can be used to separate the respective domestic and foreign cotton groups.

Improving the confidence of “questioned versus known” fiber comparisons using microspectrophotometry and chemometrics

“…The subjective nature of these comparisons has led to trepidations regarding potential human error or bias [17]. Substantial research in recent decades has therefore examined the utility of analytical techniques with chemometric analysis to provide more objective fiber examinations [18][19][20][21][22]. Liu for example employed Raman spectroscopy with chemometrics to distinguish cotton cellulose fibers based upon their color, crystalline fraction and strength [23].…”