Optical method to differentiate tequilas based on angular modulation surface plasmon resonance

We report the use of the prism-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique to differentiate between three types of tequilas white or silver, aged, and extra-aged. We used the angular interrogation method in which the structure is based on prism fabricated with BK7 glass coated with a gold layer as the SPR active layer. Our study was centered in the analysis of the resonant angle of the SPR generated by the three types of tequilas produced by the three major tequila-producing firms. We observed that each tequila sample produced a well-differentiated SPR curve. We found that resonant angle of the SPR curve produced by silver tequilas is larger than that produced by the aged and extra-aged tequilas of the same producer firm. We found that the position of the SPR curve is not exclusively determined by the alcohol contents; we believe that there are other parameters derived from the aging process that should be considered. The refractive index of the tequilas used in this study was estimated using the measured resonant angle.

Research highlights
► We report an experimental procedure to discriminate different types of tequilas using SPR.
► Our study was centered in the analysis of the resonant angle of the SPR generated by the three types of tequilas. The resonant angle of the SPR curve is related to the refractive index of the liquid sample.
► The calculated refractive index of the tequilas analyzed is all different.