Circumventing substrate interference in the Raman spectroscopic identification of blood stains

Raman spectroscopy has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in identifying blood in controlled laboratory conditions. However, substrate interference presents a significant challenge toward characterizing body fluid traces with Raman spectroscopy at a crime scene. Here, several possible solutions are explored, including the selection of laser excitation, isolating the signal of blood using spectral subtraction and using a favorable substrate for collection which minimizes interference. Simulated blood stain evidence was prepared and analyzed using a Raman microscope with variable laser capabilities. It is shown that the best approach for detecting blood depends on the nature of the substrate and the type of interference encountered.