Building spectral databases for the quality control of spices: The case study of saffron

Ordoudi, S. A., Tsimidou, M. Z.

Abstract

Spectroscopic/spectrometric analyses of spices offer low-cost, rapid measurements for qualitative and quantitative purposes related with authenticity, traceability and quality issues. To get most of the information encoded in the spectral data about the composition of a sample, metabolic fingerprinting approaches and/or chemometric methods are frequently applied. However, these approaches require the building up and use of “fit- to-purpose” databases with special precaution on the reliability of the sample meta-data. The latter may refer to botanical and geographical origin, harvest time, processing and storage history, chemical composition, etc. This study discusses the requirements for building up and updating spectral databases for saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. Special emphasis is given to show how the FT-IR spectral variations due to postharvest treatment of the product, storage length/ conditions and presence of adulterants may assist in classification studies.

Keywords

spectroscopic databases, saffron, quality control, FT-IR spectroscopy

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IMEKO-TC23-2017-022.pdf

DOI

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IMEKO TC

TC23 - Metrology in Food and Nutrition

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