Laser Sensing and Chemometric Analysis for Rapid Detection of Oregano Fraud
Luca Fiorani,
Antonia Lai,
Adriana Puiu,
Florinda Artuso,
Claudio Ciceroni,
Isabella Giardina,
Fabio Pollastrone
Affiliations
Luca Fiorani
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Antonia Lai
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Adriana Puiu
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Florinda Artuso
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Claudio Ciceroni
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Isabella Giardina
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Fabio Pollastrone
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies for Safety and Health Division, Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
World health is increasingly threatened by the growing number of spice-related food hazards. Further development of reliable methods for rapid, non-targeted identification of counterfeit ingredients within the supply chain is needed. ENEA has developed a portable, user-friendly photoacoustic laser system for food fraud detection, based on a quantum cascade laser and multivariate calibration. Following a study on the authenticity of saffron, the instrument was challenged with a more elusive adulterant, olive leaves in oregano. The results show that the reported method of laser sensing and chemometric analysis was able to detect adulterants at mass ratios of at least 20% in less than five minutes.
