Through-container quantitative analysis of hand sanitizers using spatially offset Raman spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Chemometrics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in hand sanitizer demand, increasing the market presence of new products.
• Some hand sanitizers were found to be out of specification, highlighting the need for quality control.
• Existing quality assessment methods can be time-consuming and destructive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, non-destructive method for assessing hand sanitizer quality.
• To quantify active ingredients and identify substandard products.
• To support high-volume testing of medical countermeasures during public health crises.

Main Methods:

• Development of a quantitative, through-container screening method.
• Utilized spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) for spectral acquisition.
• Employed support vector regression (SVR) for data analysis and prediction.

Main Results:

• Successfully identified and quantified alcohol content in 173 hand sanitizer products.
• Method demonstrated high accuracy ([Formula: see text]) in predicting alcohol content.
• Effectively identified substandard hand sanitizer samples ([Formula: see text]).
• Method was effective regardless of container material or opacity.

Conclusions:

• A SORS-SVR method provides rapid and accurate quality assessment of hand sanitizers.
• This non-destructive technique is suitable for high-volume screening of essential supplies.
• The developed method shows potential for monitoring medical countermeasures during health emergencies.