Raman spectroscopy for the determination of forensically important bio-fluids

Abstract

Body fluid (blood, sperm, saliva, and vaginal secretions) trace evidence acquired from crime scenes is increasingly being used by scientists for phenotypic profiling and DNA analysis to identify the source of the body fluid. Chemical tests, which are costly, time-consuming, and require pre-sample preparation, were used heavily by scientists in the past. Furthermore, each test is limited to a single sample. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a universal technique for analyzing various substances as it measures backscatter. The Portable RS is now commonly utilized at crime scenes. It is quick and requires no sample preparation. The biological samples can also be used for prospective analysis because the procedure is non-destructive. Because of its extremely selective nature, it can also examine heterogeneous samples and separate each ingredient. Different bodily fluids have distinct Raman spectra. A stain that contains multiple body fluids could produce a superposition of all the peaks that can be mathematically resolved into separate fundamental spectra. In this review, we focused on the use of RS in the identification and characterisation of bodily fluids at crime scenes. Also, this review emphasized the merits of choosing RS over other conventional methods.

Keywords: Body fluids; HAMAND; Heterogeneous samples; Phenotype profiling; Raman spectroscopy; Substrate interference.