Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy as A Technique for Multivariate Analysis of Lard Adulteration in Food Products: A Review

The presence of lard in food products is prohibited (haram) for Muslim and a few other religions i.e. Judaism and Hinduism. Due to the advantages of lard such as easily available, cheap and able to produce better quality of food products, the adulteration of food products with lard has become a serious issue. The complex composition of food products and similar properties of lard as an adulterant make identification of food adulterations a big challenge. Chemical analysis is one way to authenticate the halal status of the food products which is based on the specific markers present or absent in the products they contain. This article highlights on the use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to determine the presence of lard combined with multivariate analysis. This technique also able to quantify the amount of lard in the food products that are claimed to be halal.