News

A new method has been developed to authenticate Basmati rice. The new duplex drop ddPCR assay is based on a previously published real-time PCR (rtPCR) method. The new method is able to screen for non-Basmati rice contents in the range of 1 % or higher. As digital PCR does not require calibrators for the quantification, the method is more economic, compared to rtPCR or microsatellite analysis. The new method gives good correlation with microsatellite analysis.

The paper can be purchased at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-015-2599-3

This paper records the outcome of the latest and largest multi-species, transnational survey of fish labelling to date, which demonstrates an apparent reduction of seafood mislabelling in Europe. The authors argue that recent efforts in legislation, governance, and outreach have had a positive impact on industry regulation coupled with successful molecular biology methodology.

Read more at: http://usir.salford.ac.uk/37241/1/Mariani%20et%20al_Final-FEE-Dec2015.pdf

FoodAuthenticity.uk is built on a social networking platform so that members can start discussions, participate, and receive updates and alerts on topics that interest them. To help members find out more about using the site we've published a set of hints and tips on using the site, controlling updates, how to contact other members and other features of the site.

To find out more, head over to the Hints and Tips page. Members will also find a link to the hints and tips page under the "My Page" tab on the menu.

This is a review paper, which focuses on important issues for consideration when validating a molecular biology assay and the various factors that can impact on the measurement uncertainty of a result associated with molecular biology approaches used in detection of food fraud, with a particular focus on quantitative PCR-based and proteomics assays.

Read more at:  http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/an/c5an01392e#!divAbstract

This short review looks at three methods for identifying species adulteration - ELISA, PCR-DNA, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS).NGS uses universal primers to give amplified products, which are sequenced and then identified in a database of several thousand species.The potential for quantitative analysis without PCR exists but has yet to be fully developed.

Read more at: www.fstjournal.org/features/29-4/food-authenticity-testing

This paper reports a protocol for screening triglyceride extracts from beef and horse meat mixtures using a 60 MHz Hydrogen NMR scan followed by principal component analysis. After obtaining an "authentic" beef and horse triglyceride regions, the assay was used to screen commercial samples of mince, and correctly identified the non-beef samples. The method would be suitable for rapid screening of raw meat materials. 

Read the full paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814614018391

Also you can watch the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flYtDZgvHao&feature=player_embedded

Hi Food Authenticity Network Member

Please see the attached questionnaire which has been sent out under the CEN TC 275 banner the CEN Technical Committee which deals with horizontal methods of analysis for food.  I shall have to put together a response for this on behalf of BSI and would be grateful for any comments that you might have on the questionnaire.

There are advantages to proceed along the lines being suggested, most notably a wider audience for any methods of analysis that the Network may put up (wider in that CEN is a European wide organisation, which you may regard as the European daughter of ISO for the moment).  The disadvantage is that any methods issued as CEN Standards/Reports would then attract a charge.

Many thanks

Best wishes

Roger

(Chairman BSI AW/275)

CEN-TC275_N1526_Questionaire_Food_Authenticity.pdf

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Dr Roger Wood, Cringleford, Norwich, UK

I may be contacted at:

Mobile: 07725 419921

e-mail:  roger.shirley@btinternet.com

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After a disastrous olive harvest, prosecutors in Turin have launched a major commercial fraud investigation. Investigators have found 'major irregularities' in the quality of top olive oils. Extra virgin olive oil costs around £6 per litre compared to £3.45 normal oil. Producers face fines of £1,400 for each mis-sold bottle of extra virgin oil 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3314223/Top-Italian-brands-investigation-passing-ordinary-olive-oil-extra-virgin-disastrous-harvest.html#ixzz3rlDCg6Ty 

Addition of mandarin juice in orange juice has been detected using DNA methodology (heteroduplex). A new approach to identify citrus fruit varieties is given in this paper by a cooperative project from FAO/IAEA using LC-MS and analysis of specific metabolomic markers. Statistical treatment allowed adulteration to be detected down to 1%.

Read more at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713515302668

Weather-driven concerns about sugar and palm oil supplies have led to price increase of major food commodities in October, said Food and Agriculture Organization today. The FAO report released today said that its Food Price Index averaged nearly 162 points in October, up 3.9 per cent from September, while still down 16 per cent from a year earlier.

Read more at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/79a42688-83c8-11e5-8095-ed1a37d1e096.html#axzz3r5ft1n1z

FAO Report details at: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/342011/icode/ 

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law by President Obama on Jan. 4, 2011 enables FDA to better protect public health by strengthening the food safety system. It enables FDA to focus more on preventing food safety problems rather than relying primarily on reacting to problems after they occur. The law also provides FDA with new enforcement authorities designed to achieve higher rates of compliance with prevention- and risk-based food safety standards and to better respond to and contain problems when they do occur.  

Read more details at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm239907.htm

and full details on the new Act and its implementation on the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm

BEUC’s latest report found croquettes containing half the quantity of meat declared on the label, sulphites used to make minced beef look fresher, and chicken sold as veal in kebabs.

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/11/06/dishonest-food-labelling-still-issue-europe-report/#ixzz3r5W0EpLS 

Following a study of Manuka honey, Rowse Honey has concluded that more than twice as much Manuka honey is sold than produced. In addition, Rowse funded tests on the NPA value, which is an indication of the amount of methyl glyoxal, the active compound giving the honey its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.  The tests showed that in many cases the the NPA value did not match the amount of methyl glyoxal that should have been present.

Read the full article at :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3302734/It-s-honey-trap-Half-liquid-gold-manuka-sold-high-street-fake-experts-warn.html

Businesses found guilty of corporate manslaughter and the most serious food crimes including food fraud will face tougher fines under new guidelines published today from the Sentencing Council (November 3).

Read the full article at: http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Food-Safety/Food-safety-crime-guidelines-for-fines

Members have been sent a copy of the Newsletter today. The Newsletter can also be found on the following link:

FoodAuthenticity_Newsletter_1015_EN.pdf

A rapid multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometric method for the detection and relative quantitation of the adulteration of meat with that of an undeclared species is presented by IFR's Analytical Sciences Unit. The approach uses corresponding proteins from the different species under investigation and corresponding peptides from those proteins, or CPCP. Selected peptide markers can be used for species detection. The use of ratios of MRM transition peak areas for corresponding peptides is proposed for relative quantitation. The approach is introduced by use of myoglobin from four meats: beef, pork, horse and lamb. Focusing in the present work on species identification, by use of predictive tools, peptide markers were determined that allow the identification of all four meats and detection of one meat added to another at levels of 1% (w/w). Candidate corresponding peptide pairs to be used for the relative quantification of one meat added to another have been observed. Preliminary quantitation data presented here are encouraging.

Read the full article in Anal. Chem., 2015, 87 (20), pp 10315–10322  at: 

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021%2Facs.analchem.5b02318

A lab-on-a-chip-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the authentication of five non-halal meat species in foods is described. Using species-specific primers, 172, 163, 141, 129 and 108-bp sites of mitochondrial ND5, ATPase 6 andcytochrome b genes were amplified to detect cat, dog, pig, monkey and rat species under complex matrices. Species-specificity was authenticated against 20 different species with the potential to be used in food. The assay was optimised under the backgrounds of various commercial meat products and validated for the analysis of meatballs, burgers and frankfurters, which are popular fast food items across the globe. The assay was tested to detect 0.1% suspected meats under commercial backgrounds of marketed foods.

Read more in Food Additives and Contaminants at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19440049.2015.1087060

A method using the q-ICP-MS analysis of 19 elements has been developed to differentiate organic and conventional Brazilian rice samples. 17 certified organic samples and 33 conventionally grown rice samples from 5 different regions in Brazil were analysed, and using 19 elements it was possible to predict with 98% confidence the authenticity of the rice samples. Just using calcium and cadmium, it was possible to predict the authenticity with 96% confidence.

Read the full preliminary unedited pdf paper at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157515002008 

Major food adulteration and contamination events occur with alarming regularity and are known to be episodic, with the question being not if but when another large-scale food safety/integrity incident will occur. Indeed, the challenges of maintaining food security are now internationally recognised. The ever increasing scale and complexity of food supply networks can lead to them becoming significantly more vulnerable to fraud and contamination, and potentially dysfunctional. This can make the task of deciding which analytical methods are more suitable to collect and analyse (bio)chemical data within complex food supply chains, at targeted points of vulnerability, that much more challenging. It is evident that those working within and associated with the food industry are seeking rapid, user-friendly methods to detect food fraud and contamination, and rapid/high-throughput screening methods for the analysis of food in general. In addition to being robust and reproducible, these methods should be portable and ideally handheld and/or remote sensor devices, that can be taken to or be positioned on/at-line at points of vulnerability along complex food supply networks and require a minimum amount of background training to acquire information rich data rapidly (ergo point-and-shoot). Here we briefly discuss a range of spectrometry and spectroscopy based approaches, many of which are commercially available, as well as other methods currently under development. We discuss a future perspective of how this range of detection methods in the growing sensor portfolio, along with developments in computational and information sciences such as predictive computing and the Internet of Things, will together form systems- and technology-based approaches that significantly reduce the areas of vulnerability to food crime within food supply chains. As food fraud is a problem of systems and therefore requires systems level solutions and thinking.

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2015/ay/c5ay02048d

D.I. Ellis, H.Muhamadali, S.A. Haughey, C.T. Elliott and R. Goodacre,  Analytical Methods