Unveiling Porcine Contamination in Halal-uncertified Cosmetics: Detection through Existing Procedure using DNeasy Mericon Food Kit DNA Extraction and Real-time qPCR

Abstract

The surge in cosmetic product consumption in Indonesia has spurred the growth of the local cosmetic industry. However, not all cosmetics in circulation adhere to the halal standards mandated by Indonesian authorities through the Law on Halal Product Guarantee. This study endeavors to establish a method for identifying pork-derived content in cosmetic cream products lacking the halal logo. The approach involves total DNA isolation using the Qiagen DNeasy Mericon Food Kit, followed by detecting the NDH5 gene using qPCR. Results indicated that the isolation kit effectively extracted DNA fragments from cosmetic products, yielding 0.6–0.8 ng/µL concentrations, with A260/280 ratios ranging from 0.90 to 1.76 and A260/230 ratios from 0.12 to 0.17. Analysis of five cosmetic cream samples revealed that three of them exhibited no contamination by pig-derived elements, with a cut-off value of 23.7×101. Consequently, the isolation method utilizing the kit and the subsequent detection of the NDH5 gene through qPCR emerge as a robust approach for identifying pig-derived ingredients in cream-based cosmetics.