Near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) is proving to be a valuable tool in combating the growing threat posed by pharmaceutical counterfeiting. The SyNIRgi system from Malvern Instruments can rapidly distinguish real products from counterfeit products, with limited sample preparation, and often without the need to remove packaging. Flexible sampling options mean that the system can look at capsules, intact tablets, blister packs, and powders.
SyNIRgi provides analysis of the nature and spatial location of chemical components within a sample. Combining the species identification capabilities of conventional near-infrared spectroscopy with digital imaging, it is ideal for the non-destructive analysis of materials having spatially complex arrangements of chemical species. This applies especially to pharmaceutical products.
Depending on the choice of operating conditions, multiple samples can be compared simultaneously. Alternatively, detailed compositional information can be obtained and compared from individual samples.
The SyNIRgi’s large field of view allows side-by-side comparison of real and suspect products. Furthermore, the ability to put both real and suspect samples in the same image replaces the need to run calibration data on the genuine products. Analysis can be complete in minutes.
Visit www.malvern.com/syNIRgiArticles to download recent publications about NIR-CI for counterfeit products analysis.
