Proceedings

Development and commercial implementation of a source assurance and traceability method based on DNA barcodes

We present results from the development and commercial implementation of a novel method for source assurance and traceability that is based on DNA barcodes, which are externally applied onto or in foods.This development is unrelated to DNA barcoding as it applies to species detection in biology. The method employs a set of sixty-four distinct, short (~ 100 base pairs) DNA sequences. These sequences have already been recognized by the United States Food and Drug Administration as food safe. We employ a commercial off-the-shelf auto sampler, which we refer to as a dispenser. The dispenser is...

Evaluation of commercial frying oils by using the OXITEST method

Frying is one of the oldest cooking method used, either at home or industrial level, and can be utilized for preparing several foods, namely vegetables, meat and fish. However, while frying may impart desired characteristics, undesirable and potentially harmful compounds may also be formed, due to the combined effect of temperature, oxygen and moisture on the frying fat, as well as its interaction with the chemical species found in the substrates. The kind of fat used may span from non-hydrogenated and refined fats and oils, to various tailor made frying oils, the latter being represented by...

Current status and future prospects of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses) in terms of national reference mandate for trace metals determination in foodstuff

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses) is the leading national food safety agency in Europe with regards to the scope of its missions. The agency provides state authorities with the technical& scientific assistance they require to draft new regulations and standards at national, European and international level, develop new test methods and carry out market surveillance. The Agency has a network of 11 reference and research laboratories distributed throughout France. Anses also leads and coordinates a network of 31 scientific organizations,...

Thinking and practicing of National Quality Infrastructure in China

Quality has always been an important issue, and it is a hot topic in the past in all parts of the world. The globalization of the markets continues its rapid pace and as it is shaped by technological developments, more and more governments are carefully reconsidering the overall arrangement of their National Quality Infrastructure, NQI. This paper covers the concept of NQI, the relationship between NQI elements, a case of application of NQI to a food productive chain and the development prospect in China.

Chemical metrology - Progress in Greece

From food microbiological analysis by culture to the liberation of DNA sequencing and beyond: Developments, challenges and future trends in reference methods and industry standards

Isotopic model for detecting wine origin

Greek wines are characterized unique due to the rare composition of the geographical location of Greece and the high quality local wine varieties. For this reason we have to protect the authenticity and the identity of those Greek wine products. The most suitable method to ensure the authenticity and to validate the traceability of wine and is the stable isotopes. Specifically, the isotopic analysis of 13 C/ 12 C ratio in the bulk wine and the isotopic analysis of 18 O/ 16 O ratio in wine’s water can trace back the climatic conditions of the area the vine was cultivated and therefore the...

Relevancy of speciation analysis for geographical origin discrimination of red wines

Wine traceability has become of primary importance for consumers as well as for producers. Indeed, because of its high market price, it’s a product highly subject to fraud. Traceability analysis are, among others, performed by trace element analysis. Indeed, their content may change depending on the soils on which the vine has grown and also as a function of the agricultural practices. But in addition, these different origins may also impact these trace elements speciation. Therefore, the objective of our work was to check if the speciation analysis could be more discriminant than the single...

Essential and toxic trace elements in chocolate: Occurrence data, assessment of nutritional merits and risk evaluation

The aim of the study was the assessment of the balance of essential and toxic elements in chocolate in order to evaluate its quality and its nutritional merits. For this purpose, 85 samples of the mostly consumed chocolates in France of different types: dark and milk chocolates, powdered chocolates in addition to cocoa beans were collected from regular markets and analysed in terms of essential (Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Se and Zn), non-essential (B, Ba, Co, Ni, Sr, Ti and V) as well as toxic elements (Al, As, Cd, Sb and Pb). Cocoa beans are found to have higher contents of the...

Verification of milk on the Slovenian market based on stable isotope and elemental analysis

Compliance with legal and labelling requirements, determination of nutrient values and detection of adulteration are some of the main reasons for the development and application of methods and techniques in food science. In this presentation, stable isotope ratios of light elements ( 13 C/ 12 C, 15 N/ 14 N, 18 O/ 16 O, 34 S/ 32 S) and elemental composition were used to verify the correct assignment of Slovenian milk samples and to develop a discrimination model able to discriminate between milk of Europe and Slovene origin. The first database of authentic Slovenian cow milk has now been...