LOD based Fiber Optic Sensor for Glucose-Adulterated Honey Detection

The adulteration of honey with glucose is a widespread issue that undermines consumer trust, compromises food quality, and poses health risks. To address this challenge, this study proposes a fiber optic sensor that exploits Lateral Offset Displacement (LOD) for the precise detection of glucose adulteration in honey. Using a single-mode fiber (SM-SM) configuration, the sensor leverages refractive index variations to achieve non-destructive and highly sensitive measurements. Systematic experiments were performed with controlled concentrations of honey and glucose, while varying the LOD from 0 µm to 16 µm. The results demonstrate excellent sensitivity and strong linearity, with the 16 µm LOD providing the highest performance. Specifically, honey solutions attained a peak sensitivity of -0.0496 dBm/%, glucose solutions recorded -0.02171 dBm/%, and honey–glucose mixtures exhibited 0.02821 dBm/%. These findings confirm the effectiveness of LOD as a robust tuning mechanism for enhancing sensing response and discrimination in complex mixtures. In order to safeguard consumers and ensure regulatory compliance, the suggested LOD-based fiber optic sensor is an effective tool for food quality monitoring and authenticity verification.