The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published its December 2020 Food Fraud Monthly Summary reporting food fraud incidents and investigations from around the world. Thanks again to our Member Bruno Séchet for creating this infographic and allowing us to share it with the rest of the Network
Read the December 2020 Summary here
Prawns and shrimps (small prawns) are the world’s most popular shellfish. High demand for prawns leads to intensive farming, which can lead to bacterial disease problems. To prevent bacterial disease and promote growth, antibiotic drugs are frequently used. US Researchers in Louisiana took 56 prawn samples in late 2016 and early 2017 from a variety of local retail outlets, and all the prawns were raised by aquaculture and imported from India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Bangladesh and Ecuador. The samples were analysed for the presence of veterinary drug residues (oxytetracycline, nitrofurantoin, chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolone and malachite green) using ELISA test kits. Additional screening with the Alert sulfite detection kit was used to determine if sulfite residue was over the US legal limit of 100 ppm.
Screening analysis revealed that samples were positive for nitrofurantoin (70 % of samples), malachite green (5 %), oxytetracycline (7 %), and fluoroquinolone (17 %). Malachite green, oxytetracycline and fluoroquinolone are all banned in the US, and nitrofurantoin, an antibiotic growth promoter, has been banned in the EU since 1995. No samples contained chloramphenicol residues. Using LC-MSMS validation, one sample tested positive for 60 ppm of oxytetracycline and 4 ppb of ciprofloxacin. Almost half the 51 samples tested positive for sulfite residue (45 %), but were within the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limit (10−100ppm, with one sample was greater than 100ppm).The rest were less than 10ppm of sulphite However, sulfites were not listed on any of labels of the 51 tested packages of imported prawns.
Read the article or the open access full paper.
Venison is high value meat. Chinese researchers have developed an innovative assay which combines PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification of venison DNA with a lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) to visualise the PCR product. The PCR amplification used a 277 bp fragment of a venison mitochondrial DNA D-loop region, and the PCR products labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and biotin were examined using a paper-based LFI strip within 5 min. The assay gave a high specificity for venison with no cross-reactivity to 17 animal and 2 plant species, and enabled the detection of raw, oven-heated, and fried venison in binary mixtures with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01% (w/w), In addition, the PCR-LFI test was applied to 15 commercial venison products, and the results were validated by PCR agarose gel electrophoresis.
Read the full paper here
Basmati rice is a high value rice because of its unique organoleptic properties, and hence is vulnerable to adulteration by non-Basmati varieties. Authentication of Basmati rice has been based on specific varietal identification using DNA markers - microsatellites or more recently KASP markers. Pakistan has designated a specific geographical region for Basmati varieties to be grown and applied to the European Commission for PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status of its Basmati rice.This study develops a method based on elemental analysis with chemometrics to differentiate rice grown inside and outside the recognised Basmati growing region. Sixty-four rice samples were collected from the Punjab region of Pakistan, 21 from the PGI region and 43 outside this region. Elemental analysis by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) of 71 elements was performed on the samples and combined with DD-SIMCA (data-driven soft independent modelling by class analogy) for the differentiation of Pakistani rice grown inside and outside the PGI Basmati growing region, The model obtained achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 98%, respectively.
Read the abstract here
In the US, hemp plants (Cannabis sativa) that produce delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) in amounts higher than 0.3% are classed as cannabis, and lower amounts than 0.3%, as hemp. THCA is the precursor of the psychoactive delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that forms from its oxidation. At present, confirmatory testing whether a sample is cannibis or hemp has to be carried out in a certified laboratory by HPLC, which is time consuming and labour intensive. US researchers have developed a rapid portable, confirmatory, non-invasive and non-destructive approach for cannabis diagnostics that could be performed by a police officer using a hand-held Raman spectrometer.
Samples were taken from both hemp plants and 3 varieties of cannabis plants, and the latter were frozen at −10 to −15 °C and thawed, which is the standard procedure in cannabis farming that is used to preserve cannabinol content of plants during their post-harvest processing. The Raman spectra were analysed using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to determine the spectral regions giving the best separation between the two classes especially for THCA. The chemometric model showed 100% accuracy in determining whether a sample was hemp or cannabis, and further modelling gave a prediction rate of 96-100% in identifying the three cannabis varieties.
Read the full open-access paper
The Network Team would like to wish you all a happy New Year, and a healthy and successful 2021.
This article reports a recent webinar to discuss the role of NMR in the non-targeted authenticity analysis of wine, and in particular Spanish wine. The NMR analysis is able to identify and quantify several hundred compounds present in the wine. Reference databases have been built up of these compound profiles using authentic wine, and these are used on wine samples to verify whether they are authentic or not. The method has been adopted by the Estación Enológica de Haro (EEH) part of the Institute of Vine and Wines Sciences in La Rioja, which serves the wine industry across Spain, and analyses 25,000 samples annually and conducts around 263,000 analyses every year from private clients.
Read the article here
Methods to determine the geographic origin of EVOO are a useful tool to prevent fraud for this high value oil. Portuguese researchers have applied SIRA of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen (δ13C, δ2H and δ18O) with chemometrics to verify whether the geographical origin of VOOs obtained from three Mediterranean countries can be determined. One hundred and thirty eight authentic VOO samples were collected from Portugal, France and Turkey from two different harvest years (2016 and 2017). The samples were analysed for the isotopic ratios using an elemental analyser coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS). Using meteorological and geographical parameters, a meteoric water line for olive oil from Portugal, France and Turkey, in two harvest years, were created to assess the impact of climate change on their δ2H and δ18O values. After principal component analysis, the VOOs from Portugal and France were well separated, Turkey slightly less so, but also the 2016 and 2017 harvest years of each country were also discriminated.
Read the full open-access paper
Spanish authorities have uncovered a large criminal network producing and distributing counterfeit whisky. The authorities seized items imported from China, which included nearly 300,000 whisky bottles, 171,200 counterfeit tax stamps, 18,400 capsules and more than 27,000 cardboard boxes with the logo of a well-known brand. The first base of the operation was in Ciudad Real, and was run by an Asian businessman who imported from Asia fake tax stamps, counterfeit glass bottles, labels and caps from a well-known brand. The alcoholic mixture was prepared and bottled in another part of the operation in La Rioja. The bottles were sent back to Ciudad Real where the labels and seals were added ready for distribution. The fourteen people arrested are now awaiting trial in La Rioja.
Read the article here
The use of pork and porcine ingredients is banned in halal and kosher foods. This review by Indonesian researchers examines the various methods from DNA analysis, FTIR spectroscopic analysis, chromatography to electronic nose, that have been used to detect porcine DNA, pork, pork gelatine, and lard in meat products.
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Nitrogen factors are used to calculate meat and seafood content (quantitative ingredient declarations-QUID) of products by analysis in order to check recipe calculations and labelling declarations on finished products. They are also still one of the easiest ways to calculate added water by difference. A “nitrogen factor” is the average nitrogen content of a specific cut or whole animal (meat/seafood) usually expressed on a fat free basis.Obtaining nitrogen factors usually requires extensive surveys of analyses of the flesh of meat animals/seafood from particular species as there are usually a large number of variables to take into account (breed/species, gender, age at slaughter, seasonal variation, carcase weight or size, geographical origin, production method, whether raised by aquaculture or caught wild). If all the variables are taken into account, this leads to very large studies and high study costs. By using a number of alternative study designs, including fractional designs and algorithmic optimal designs, the number of samples can be significantly reduced and hence the survey costs with minimal impact on the information gained.
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Garlic is widely used in cooking all over the world. Researchers at Queens University Belfast have verified whether NIR (near infrared) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy with chemometric analysis can detect garlic mixed with possible adulterants. Authentic and adulterated garlic (with talc, maltodextrin, corn starch, cornflour, peanut butter powder, sodium caseinate, potato starch, rice flour, cassava and white maize meal) samples were prepared at 20–90% levels, and NIR and FTIR spectra of the samples obtained. Principal component analysis (PCA) models were created to establish if there was separation of garlic from the adulterants.Orthogonal partial least squares – discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were then developed to be able to detect and classify the levels of adulteration correctly using both NIR and FTIR.
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There has been a large increase in the sale of craft beers, which pride themselves as having distinctive flavours and colour by using proprietary recipes of cereals and flavourings. As craft beers sell for a premium price over large scale produced beers, having a method to distinguish the two types is important to prevent fraud. The use of 1H NMR and chemometrics to identify metabolites in craft beers, which are absent in large scale produced beers has been used by various researchers around the world. In a recent paper, Italian researchers developed a protocol for NMR anlaysis with chemometrics enabling the automatic identification and quantification of metabolites in approximately thirty seconds per spectrum. Craft beers possessed lower concentrations of adenosine/inosine and trehalose and higher levels of trigonelline, asparagine, acetate, lactate, and succinate when compared with large scale produced beers. These results give a starting point for the development of a standardised protocol to distinguish between the two types of beers.
Labelling rules require that if raw fish has been previously frozen and sold as chilled/fresh, then it must be labelled as previously frozen or defosted. Norwegian researchers have developed a method based on D/H-NMR analysis to look at certain metabolites, which change concentration when Atlantic salmon is frozen and thawed, then stored chilled. Of the metabolites studied, aspartate concentration was considered the best marker for previously frozen salmon, as it formed in the thawed fish only after the second day of storage at 4 °C, reaching a maximum after 3-5 days then declining.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted targeted surveillance between 2019 and 2020 as part of ongoing efforts to detect honey adulteration with exogenous sugars in both domestic and imported honey sold in Canada. A total of 275 samples were collected across Canada and analysed using Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis (SIRA) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Two types of honey samples were collected. One group of 127 samples, consisted of single-ingredient honey products such as bulk and honey for further processing from importers and a small proportion from domestic establishments. These were collected from suppliers where the chance of non-compliance was higher, based on risk-factors such as a history of non-compliance, gaps in preventive controls, or unusual trading patterns. The other 148 samples of honey were collected by an independent third party at retailers in various cities across Canada as part of CFIA's compliance monitoring of the marketplace, to gauge overall compliance. Of the targeted samples 17(13%) were considered unsatisfactory from the analytical results of which only 1 was Canadian honey. Of the retail samples, only 3 were considered unsatisfactory, and all of these were imported. As a result of CFIA's actions, an estimated 83,461 kg of adulterated honey was prevented from being sold in the Canadian marketplace between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020.
Read the report, which also gives access to the full analytical results
FSSAI found a consistent increase in cases of non-compliance across the country from previous years. The National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories tested 1,06,459 food samples during 2018-19, and found 30,415 samples non-conforming, of which 3900 samples were declared unsafe, 16,870 were sub-substandard, and the rest were mislabelled. As a result the Authority prosecuted 2813 criminal and 18550 civil cases resulting in 701 criminal convictions and 12734 fines.
Read the article or the full FSSAI Annual 2018-19 report in English (from page182)
The Government of Catalonia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food in Spain conducted more than 900 inspections in 133 companies this past year. However, the companies chosen were regarded as medium or high risk of infractions after an exploratory programme of inspections of 250 companies. The biggest problem was in the labelling of the products, and of the 438 labels checked, 341 were regarded as non-compliant.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food is the lead partner in the €1.3 million QUALIFY project that continues until January 2023 and involves six countries (Bulgarian, Slovenian and Estonian chambers of commerce and industry, the regional government of Thessaly in Greece and Vienna Chamber of Agriculture, and the Béritovet veterinary agency in France). It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to increase SME competitiveness in EU regions and states.
Read the article here
Prof. Chris Elliott gives a reasoned response to two reports about widespread honey fraud on the UK and Indian markets. In both cases, the analysis of the honey samples was by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), and although the method is soundly based, issues have been raised around the databases used to verify adulteration or authenticity of honey from different countries, and this was discussd in a UK Government sponsored workshop organised by LGC on the technique last year: Honey authenticity: determination of exogenous sugars by NMR Seminar (2019) Report.
Read the article here
The use of hand-held infrared spectrometers combined with chemometrics to authenticate different foods has increased in popularity especially for screening samples in-situ. This study is the first interlaboratory trial to compare the performance of low-cost portable NIR devices coupled to chemometrics to detect adulterated food. In the study, there were 27 participants from 22 countries across five continents using 34 unique devices. The food chosen for this study was oregano, which already had a history of vulnerability to adulteration by different leaves of olive, myrtle, sumac, cistus and phlomis. Participants were sent authentic samples of oregano, and of olive and cistus leaves, as well as a calibration set of oregano and adulterated samples and a validation set of authentic and adulterated samples in order to build models for oregano adulteration. Participants correctly predicted >98% genuine oregano after device standardisation, and predicted 100% adulterated samples after standardisation. The devices native setup shows limited ability to perform a true screening of oregano using the setup offered. However modifications to the setup could in the future offer a solution that facilitates fit-for-purpose real time detection of adulterated samples within the supply chain.
Read the abstract here
In September, the EU and China signed a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GIs) in China and 100 Chinese GIs in the European Union against misuse of the product's name and imitation. The EU list of GIs to be protected in China includes iconic GI products such as Cava, Champagne, Feta, Irish whiskey, Scotch Whisky, West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, Münchener Bier, Ouzo, Polska Wódka, Porto, Prosciutto di Parma and Queso Manchego. Among the Chinese GI products, the list includes for example Pixian Dou Ban (Pixian Bean Paste), Anji Bai Cha (Anji White Tea), Panjin Da Mi (Panjin rice) and Anqiu Da Jiang (Anqiu Ginger). The agreement is expected to enter into force at the beginning of 2021, after adoption by the Council of Ministers. The Agreement should boost European agri-food exports to China, already worth €14.5 billion in 2019. It is also a good measure of China’s ambition to protect intellectual property rights more robustly.
Read the article, and the European Commission's Press Release, which also gives the full lists of the 100 European GIs and the 100 Chinese GIs.
