icpms (2)

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 This paper reports the results of an international cooperative research project to address potential food fraud issues related to rice supplies in China, India, Vietnam and Ghana, and as rice fraud manifests differently in each country, tailored solutions were required. A portable NIR (Near Infra-Red) instrument with chemometrics calibrated to the authentic rice, was used as a fingerprint screening method. Non-conforming or suspicious samples were analysed in a second stage (confirmatory test) using laboratory-based gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) fingerprinting methods, which were developed to differentiate between: high value Basmati rice varieties and their potential adulterants; six Geographic Indicated protected rice varieties from specific regions of China; various qualities of rice in Ghana and Vietnam; as well locally produced and imported rice in Ghana. In addition, an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS) method was developed to support the Chinese rice varieties methods, as well as a liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOFMS) method for quality differentiation in Vietnam. This two stage approach permits a much higher level of on-site screening of rice samples followed by the laboratory corroborating mass spectrometry analysis to assist decision making in accepting rice supplies. 

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4340822886?profile=RESIZE_710xDetermining the geographic origin of coffee beans is more challenging with roasted coffee beans, and is useful if it can be performed on the product available to the consumer. US researchers analysed the concentrations of 44 trace elements in 53 samples of roasted Arabica coffee beans (Coffea arabica) from 21 different countries. Although trace elements are not volatilised at roasting temperatures, the absolute elemental concentrations of coffee beans vary through different degrees of roasting (from green through dark roasts). The study analysed trace element ratios to evaluate concentration-related differences among beans from different origins. By comparing the distributions of 1892 element ratios for each of the  countries, the study demonstrated that many of the world’s coffee-producing regions can be distinguished from other regions of the world on the basis of element ratios.

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