Spectral Barcoding for the Detection of Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs Using Raman Spectroscopy

Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are the drugs most often implicated in opioid overdose fatalities. Law and drug enforcement agencies are actively working to remove fentanyl-containing drugs from circulation; however, detection in the field can be challenging. Portable Raman spectroscopy is a valuable tool for identifying fentanyl, but the traditional method of identifying compounds requires comparison to a reference library on the system, which can limit the ability to detect novel fentanyl analogs. To overcome this challenge, a spectral barcoding technique was validated using fentanyl and a range of fentanyl analogs in addition to non-fentanyl confusants. Compared to traditional Raman techniques using an internal system library for identification, the spectral barcoding technique was better at identifying fentanyl-containing compounds while ruling out benign samples. Ultimately, this spectral barcoding technique allows for better identification in a constantly changing landscape of fentanyl analogs.