Herbal Medicine Characterization Perspectives Using Advanced FTIR Sample Techniques – Diffuse Reflectance (DRIFT) and Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS)

This study demonstrates the significant potential of the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) sampling methods: cantilever-enhanced Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR PAS) and diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (FTIR DRIFT) in the field of herbal medicines (HM). In the present work we investigated DRIFT and PAS sampling methods because they do not require sample preparation, samples may be opaque or dark, require small amounts, both liquid and solid samples can be measured, and solid samples can be analyzed on a small scale. Experiments conducted prove high sensitivity, reproducibility and capability in combination with an unsupervised multivariate analysis technique to discriminate important characteristics of HM, such as the identification of plant parts, differentiation of samples by types, and determination of the concentration of extractable compounds in HM.