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Methods of Optical Spectroscopy in Detection of Coronavirus: A Review

23 Pages Posted: 14 Apr 2022 Publication Status: Published

See all articles by Muhammad Izzuddin Rumaling

Muhammad Izzuddin Rumaling

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Fuei Pien Chee

Universiti Malaysia Sabah - Physics with Electronic Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources (FSNR)

Abdullah Bade

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Nur Hasshima Hasbi

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Sylvia Daim

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Floressy Juhim

Universiti Malaysia Sabah - Physics with Electronic Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources (FSNR)

Mivolil Duinong

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Rosfayanti Rasmidi

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Abstract

Due to the recent Coronaviruse Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that occurred since early 2020, scientists have been researching for rapid and less invasive methods to detect the presence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of COVID-19. Optical spectroscopy, a method that employs the interaction of light has been previously used in detecting viruses in biological samples. It is a promising method that could also be similarly applied in detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in biological samples such as nasopharyngeal swabs. Three methods of optical spectroscopy are discussed in this paper, namely ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. UV and IR spectroscopy differs in terms of their wavelength ranges, < 400 nm and > 700 nm respectively. Meanwhile, Raman spectroscopy involves shift in wavelength due to the scattering of light. These three methods have been shown to be able to differentiate true negative, virus-free samples from true positive, virus-containing samples. UV spectroscopy is useful in determining the presence of viruses based on the 260nm/280nm absorbance ratio. However, its usefulness is limited as at sufficiently high intensities. UV radiation damages fundamental biomolecules such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids,  all of which are essential building components of viruses. Meanwhile, IR spectroscopy is becoming more widely used in studies involving the detection of viruses. Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy is most commonly used among IR spectroscopy as it provides useful information directly from the spectral data. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has also been used in virus-detection studies. But additional methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) are required to process the raw spectral data and to identify molecules based on the spectral peaks. On the other hand, Raman spectroscopy is useful because spectral data can be analyzed directly by identifying the vibrational modes of specific molecules in virus-containing samples. Both IR and Raman spectroscopy can be applied directly with lesser manipulation of samples and without damaging the target molecules to be measured. An increasing uses of these two spectroscopy methods is foreseeable in future studies involving the detection of viruses in a wide variety of samples.

Funding Information: Universiti Malaysia Sabah Research Grant [code SDK0163- 2020].

Conflict of Interests: None to declare.

Keywords: Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, Virus detection, optical spectroscopy, Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy

Suggested Citation

Rumaling, Muhammad Izzuddin and Chee, Fuei Pien and Bade, Abdullah and Hasbi, Nur Hasshima and Daim, Sylvia and Juhim, Floressy and Duinong, Mivolil and Rasmidi, Rosfayanti, Methods of Optical Spectroscopy in Detection of Coronavirus: A Review. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4080754 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4080754

Muhammad Izzuddin Rumaling

Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( email )

P.O. Box 80594
Jalan UMS
Kota Kinabalu, 88999
Malaysia

Fuei Pien Chee (Contact Author)

Universiti Malaysia Sabah - Physics with Electronic Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources (FSNR) ( email )

Abdullah Bade

Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( email )

P.O. Box 80594
Jalan UMS
Kota Kinabalu, 88999
Malaysia

Nur Hasshima Hasbi

Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( email )

P.O. Box 80594
Jalan UMS
Kota Kinabalu, 88999
Malaysia

Sylvia Daim

Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( email )

P.O. Box 80594
Jalan UMS
Kota Kinabalu, 88999
Malaysia

Floressy Juhim

Universiti Malaysia Sabah - Physics with Electronic Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources (FSNR) ( email )

Mivolil Duinong

Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( email )

P.O. Box 80594
Jalan UMS
Kota Kinabalu, 88999
Malaysia

Rosfayanti Rasmidi

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

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