Atsumi OZAWA, Tomomi UEHARA, Fumihiko SEKIGUCHI, and Hajime IMAI

Faculty of Science, Japan Women's University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8681, Japan

(Received July 15, 2008; Accepted April 8, 2009)

A new method was developed for studying absorption characteristics of opaque samples based on the light scattering spectroscopy. Measurements were made in white, red and violet petals of Petunia hybrida, and gave the absorption spectra in a non-destructive manner without damaging the cell structures of the petal. The red petal has absorption peak at 550 nm and the violet has three absorption peaks: at 450, 670, and 550 nm. The results were discussed in correlation with the microscopic cell structures of the petal observed with optical microscope and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Only the cells placed in the surface have the pigments giving the color of the petal.

Key words: spectroscopy, light scattering, optical absorption, petal, pigment