Food Fraud Part 5: Analytical Methods for Food Authentication

Food fraud and food authentication are emerging topics within the food sector. It is a major concern not only for consumers, but also for producers, distributors and authorities. These illicit activities result in considerable monetary losses worldwide and eroded consumer confidence. Ensuring the authenticity of food requires powerful and reliable tools for food analysis, traceability, and control. Therefore, there is a need to identify foods with regard to:

• Ingredients (e.g. species/botanical origin, proteins, fats, water)
• Processing (e.g. freezing, heating, storage)
• Geographical origin
• Production system (e.g. organic, halal, sustainable)
• Typicality (e.g. artisanal and specialty products)

Although single marker analysis works for simple authentication questions, for the above, usually patterns of a range of compounds are needed.

This webinar will provide an overview of various analytical approaches available for food authentication including mass spectrometry based techniques, NMR, Raman spectroscopy, (Near) Infrared-technology, hyperspectral imaging, microscopy, and DNA-based methodology. With fingerprint technology, which allows a more forensic approach to authentication, chemometric evaluations have become of strategic importance.

Speaker

Saskia van Ruth, Ph.D. Professor Food Authenticity and Integrity Wageningen University and Research Centre

Prof. Saskia van Ruth heads the Food Authenticity and Nutrients group at RIKILT Wageningen UR in the Netherlands since 2005. In 2012 she was appointed as professor Food Authenticity and Integrity at the Wageningen University, which doubles with her management position at RIKILT. She received her PhD in Food Chemistry from the Wageningen University in 1995 and subsequently carried out research on lipid and volatiles chemistry as post-doctoral researcher for Unilever. From 1998 till 2005 she joined the Nutritional Sciences Department of University College Cork in Ireland, after which she moved to RIKILT Wageningen UR. Her present research interests concern complex authentication issues with regard to composition, production systems (organic, sustainable, halal), geographical origin, processing, and typicality with application of state-of-the-art analytical methodology in combination with chemometrics. Furthermore, she is involved in research on factors determining food fraud vulnerability. She has published 180+ scientific papers, and participated in numerous national, EU and global projects/committees/networks.

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