Depth profiling of horse fat tissue using mid-infrared and confocal Raman microscope

Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) and confocal Raman microscopes were used to record horse fat depth profiles. The dependence of the unsaturation level and the iodine value on the distance from the skin were studied for tissue of the plane 10 × 10 mm and thickness of 30 mm. The degree of unsaturation was determined as well as the content of carotenoids and retinoids in horse fat were analyzed using the same spectroscopic methods. Clear and characteristic changes of the studied material parameters depending on the distance from the skin were described.