Improving the reliability and throughput of Halal products testing

Importance of the topic

Ensuring Halal compliance in food and cosmetics is critical for meeting religious, ethical, and quality standards. Reliable analytical testing protects consumers and manufacturers from inadvertent inclusion of prohibited substances such as pork derivatives or alcohol, while also guarding against adulteration and contamination throughout the supply chain.

Objectives and study overview

This document by Agilent Technologies outlines advanced analytical strategies to improve both reliability and throughput in Halal product testing. It presents a comprehensive suite of chemical and biological methods, preconfigured application kits, and instrument platforms designed to streamline the detection of alcohol, animal by-products, residues, and DNA markers in diverse matrices.

Methodology and protocols

The approach integrates orthogonal techniques to cover a wide analytical scope:

• Chromatographic separation (GC, HPLC, UHPLC) for volatile and nonvolatile targets.
• Mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS, GC-MS/MS, LC-MS) for ultra‐trace quantitation of allergens, steroids, hormones, antibiotics, and collagen.
• Headspace-GC for rapid screening of ethanol and other volatile impurities.
• Application kits combining optimized columns, consumables, spectral or compound libraries, and automated methods to reduce method development time.
• Molecular spectroscopy (FTIR, UV-Vis/NIR, fluorescence) for fingerprinting of feed components, supplements, and cosmetic formulations.
• Lab-on-a-chip electrophoresis and qPCR workflows for DNA-based authenticity and allergen assays.

Used Instrumentation

A representative selection of Agilent platforms includes:

• Gas Chromatograph with Headspace interface (GC-HS).
• Triple Quadrupole GC-MS/MS and single-quadrupole GC-MS.
• HPLC and UHPLC systems coupled to single- and triple-quadrupole MS.
• Agilent Application Kits for pesticide and veterinary drug residues.
• FTIR, UV-Vis/NIR, and fluorescence spectrometers (portable and benchtop).
• ICP-OES and ICP-MS for elemental profiling with high matrix tolerance.
• Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer for protein and nucleic acid quantitation.
• Real-time PCR systems with Porcine Detection Kit for sensitive pork DNA analysis.

Main results and discussion

Deployment of specialized kits and automated workflows significantly reduces calibration and optimization efforts. The Porcine Detection Kit reliably quantifies pork DNA down to 0.0005% w/v across complex food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic matrices. Application kits for chromatographic residue analysis enable fast method adoption for hundreds of pesticides and veterinary drugs with validated performance metrics.

Benefits and practical applications

These integrated solutions offer:

• High confidence in Halal compliance through multi-technique verification.
• Increased throughput and lower cost per analysis using preoptimized methods and consumables.
• Comprehensive coverage including chemical contaminants, elemental impurities, and molecular authenticity assays.
• Flexibility for both on-site screening and centralized laboratory testing.

Future trends and opportunities

Advancements may include further miniaturization of lab-on-a-chip diagnostics, expanded multiplex qPCR panels, AI-enhanced data processing, and cloud-connected instruments for real-time monitoring. Improvements in high-resolution mass spectrometry and enriched spectral libraries will further lower detection limits and support global traceability initiatives.

Conclusion

Agilent’s comprehensive portfolio of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and molecular technologies establishes a robust framework for efficient Halal product verification. By leveraging prevalidated application kits and versatile instrumentation, laboratories can achieve scalable, cost-effective, and highly reliable compliance testing across diverse industries.