Food Authentication of Almonds (Prunus dulcis Mill.). Fast Origin Analysis with Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Chemometrics

Abstract

Food fraud is a growing problem, especially misdeclaration due to regional price differences offering a wide field. Fast, powerful, and cost-effective analytical methods are therefore essential to counteract food fraud. The isotopolome is suitable for origin discrimination and was analyzed in this study using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A total of 250 almond samples from six countries and four crop years were analyzed and evaluated by chemometric methods. By using a ratio-based assessment, calibration problems were avoided and an origin predictive accuracy of 85.2 ± 1.2% was achieved. Compared to ICP-MS with solution nebulization, the analysis time could be reduced to about one-fifth.

NIR Sensing Technologies for the Detection of Fraud in Nuts and Nut Products: A Review

“…A wide range of analytical techniques have been proposed to assure the authenticity of foodstuffs [ 11 , 12 ]. In nuts, the most common ones are those based on chromatographic techniques [ 13 , 14 , 15 ], polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods [ 16 , 17 ], spectroscopic technologies [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], and mass spectrometry fingerprinting alternatives [ 23 , 24 ] among others. The chromatographic techniques and PCR methods require the preparation of the sample prior to analysis, which involves destroying the original structure of the product.…”

Geographical discrimination of dried chili peppers using femtosecond laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (fsLA-ICP-MS)

“…In addition, a small amount of sample can be analyzed non-destructively, providing rapid and isotopic information on specific elements ( de Francesco et al, 2018 ; von Wuthenau et al, 2021 ). This technology has successfully demonstrated its applicability for determining the origin of metals, glass, porcelain, and relics ( Devos et al, 2000 ; Trejos et al, 2003 ; Bartle and Watling, 2007 ; Pornwilard et al, 2011 ; Grainger et al, 2012 ), as well as of various foods, such as milk powder, vanilla, almond, and rice ( Hondrogiannis et al, 2013 ; Promchan et al, 2016 ; Hoffman et al, 2018 ; von Wuthenau et al, 2022 ). However, despite its potential, there have been limited studies on the use of LA-ICP-MS for the geographical discrimination of agricultural products.…”

Variational Mode Decomposition Weighted Multiscale Support Vector Regression for Spectral Determination of Rapeseed Oil and Rhizoma Alpiniae Offcinarum Adulterants

“…These not only damage the quality and nutritional value of foods but also are detrimental to consumer health. With a series of food adulteration incidents per year that lead to severe health impacts and economic costs, the problem of food fraud has become more sinister and devastating in the globalized food supply chain [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. An important index for evaluating the nutritional value and quality of foods and herbs is to determine the contents of the main components in them.…”