Body fluids and spectroscopic techniques in forensics: A perfect match?

Abstract

Human body fluids are of great interest in forensics, due to the possibility to extract their genetic information. Atthe moment, there is the need to develop a non-destructive, rapid and user-friendly method for the detection andidentification of the body fluids usually found at crime scenes: blood, semen, vaginal fluid, saliva, sweat and urine. Inthis review, the spectroscopic techniques used or being researched on this topic are discussed, taking into accounttheir advantages, limitations and advances. Although, UV-Vis light sources are used worldwide in forensiclaboratories for the location of body fluids, they are not selective enough to be confirmatory. HSI, FTIR and Ramanspectroscopy seem to be suitable for the identification and discrimination of body fluids, though comprehensiveresearch about some unsolved aspects must be performed first.