<p>The technique, developed by a team from the University of Leicester, relies on detecting the differences between the characteristics of light reflected from the liquid inside the bottle or its label. <br /><br /> A white light is shone through the liquid and the spectrometer -- originally designed for astronomical research -- analyses whether the signature matches that of the genuine article or not, the NewScientist reported. <br /><br /> "It's really important with whiskies and in wines is that you don't open the bottle and destroy the product," said George Fraser <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=George%20Fraser"> of the university's Space Research Centre, where the spectrometer was first developed. <br /><br /> "What you have to try to do is find a way of multiple measurements through the glass and the liquid which allows us to factor out a signature, spectrally, which is characteristic of that liquid," he said. <br /><br /> "There is a surface measurement of the bottle and case, but there is also a through-the-bottle transmission measurement which lets you characterise the liquid." <br /><br /> The team believe the technology could also be applied to analyse liquids in airports. <br /><br /> Apart from taste, fake spirits can contain high levels of methanol, a chemical that can cause liver damage, blindness, coma, breathing difficulties and even death. <br /><br /> In 2009 it was revealed that radiocarbon-dating can also be used to spot fake spirits by discovering how much carbon-14 they contain. <br /><br /> And liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry has also been used to pinpoint the unique compounds present in several delicious Trappist ales.</a></p>
<p>The technique, developed by a team from the University of Leicester, relies on detecting the differences between the characteristics of light reflected from the liquid inside the bottle or its label. <br /><br /> A white light is shone through the liquid and the spectrometer -- originally designed for astronomical research -- analyses whether the signature matches that of the genuine article or not, the NewScientist reported. <br /><br /> "It's really important with whiskies and in wines is that you don't open the bottle and destroy the product," said George Fraser <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=George%20Fraser"> of the university's Space Research Centre, where the spectrometer was first developed. <br /><br /> "What you have to try to do is find a way of multiple measurements through the glass and the liquid which allows us to factor out a signature, spectrally, which is characteristic of that liquid," he said. <br /><br /> "There is a surface measurement of the bottle and case, but there is also a through-the-bottle transmission measurement which lets you characterise the liquid." <br /><br /> The team believe the technology could also be applied to analyse liquids in airports. <br /><br /> Apart from taste, fake spirits can contain high levels of methanol, a chemical that can cause liver damage, blindness, coma, breathing difficulties and even death. <br /><br /> In 2009 it was revealed that radiocarbon-dating can also be used to spot fake spirits by discovering how much carbon-14 they contain. <br /><br /> And liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry has also been used to pinpoint the unique compounds present in several delicious Trappist ales.</a></p>