Identification of Gelatin in Dental Materials using the Combination of Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Chemometrics

Gelatin is a multifunctional ingredient widely used in the food and beverage industries. It is also useful in pharmaceutical industry, such as in the manufacturing of dental materials, whether as a main ingredient or an additive. The dental materials traded within Indonesia come from imported goods and local manufacturers. Gelatin is obtained through hydrolysis of cartilages, bones, and skins of cows, pigs and fish. Therefore, the presence of gelatin in dental materials posses critical haram risk for Moslems. This research aimed to examine the presence of gelatin in dental materials using Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) combined with chemometrics. Gelatin was identified from comparing the infrared (IR) spectrum between samples and standard gelatin of bovine and porcine origins. We combined the IR data with chemometrics through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and subsequent Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) techniques in order to authenticate the gelatin source. The result showed that 4 out of 49 samples (DM-1, DM-6, DM-18, and DM-27) were detected with gelatin. Based on chemometrics analysis, one sample (DM-6) had similar profile with porcine gelatin. The research highlighted the potential use of combined techniques of ATR-FTIR and chemometrics in authenticating the gelatin source in pharmaceutical products.