Rapid screening test for adulteration in raw materials of dietary supplements

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) sampling was evaluated for use in screening for adulteration in raw materials used in the formulation and manufacture of dietary supplements. ATR requires minimal-to-no sample preparation and the method runs in less than ten minutes, providing a robust, rapid screening test for a variety of possible adulterants in the raw materials of dietary supplements. Spectral comparison methods targeting structural similarities of known adulterants were developed. In this study, FTIR-ATR was used to detect the presence of known adulterants intentionally spiked into dietary ingredients, including erectile dysfunction drugs, steroids, weight loss drugs and Melamine.