The employment of spectroscopic techniques coupled with chemometrics for authentication analysis of halal pharmaceuticals

Halal authentication analysis is very important to assure that the pharmaceutical products are free from non-halal components. Among non-halal matters, pig derivatives are frequently met in the market because pig derivatives (PDs) are cheaper and easily available. Molecular spectroscopy is an ideal technique for analysis of PDs in pharmaceutical products, due to its advantages, namely rapid, non-destructive, ease in operation and minimum or no sample preparation required. However, molecular spectra are sometimes overlapping and very complex which make molecular spectroscopy lack of sensitivity. Fortunately, the development of chemometrics techniques overcome this problem. This article reviewed the development of molecular spectroscopy (ultraviolet-visible, infrared, Raman, and nuclear magnetic resonance) in combination with chemometrics techniques for spectral treatment, classification, and quantification for analysis of PDs which include lard, pork and porcine gelatine for halal authentication analysis in pharmaceutical products.