Characterization and Discrimination of Italian Olive (Olea europaea sativa) Cultivars by Production Area Using Different Analytical Methods Combined with Chemometric Analysis

Rapid Non-Contact Detection of Chemical Warfare Agents by Laser Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

Nerve agents have recently been used in battlefield operations, espionage wars, and terrorist attacks. These compounds, like some pesticides, cause organophosphate poisoning. The rapid, noncontact detection of a sarin simulant in the liquid phase has been demonstrated at the Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development using laser photoacoustic spectroscopy, an infrared absorption technology. The first measurements, carried out with an experimental system based on a quantum cascade laser and developed for the assessment of food authenticity in the "fingerprint region", show that a detection limit of one nanolitre is within the reach of the instrument when chemometric analysis is applied.

Laser Sensing and Chemometric Analysis for Rapid Detection of Oregano Fraud

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.

Effect of Geographical Location on the Phenolic and Mineral Composition of Chetoui Olive Leaves

In this study, we investigated the influence of pedological parameters and variation of altitude on the mineral nutrients, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities of olive leaves. Samples of the Chetoui cultivar were collected from eight geographical locations with different altitudes. Levels of phenolic compounds varied according to the altitude. Classification of the locations revealed that altitude 1 (>500 m) was characterized by high levels of secoiridoids and simple phenols, while altitude 2 (500-300 m) and altitude 3 (<300 m) were higher in flavonoids. Levels of Mn, Ca and B in the leaves and level of Zn in the soil were significantly correlated with the abundance of oleuropein and luteolin-7-O glucoside, the most important phenols in Chetoui olive leaves. The results suggest that, in addition to pedological criteria, environmental conditions also influence the formation of phenolic compounds.

Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), a Useful Tool in Authenticity of Agricultural Products' and Foods' Origin

Fraudulent practices are the first and foremost concern of food industry, with significant consequences in economy and human's health. The increasing demand for food has led to food fraud by replacing, mixing, blending, and mislabeling products attempting to increase the profits of producers and companies. Consequently, there was the rise of a multidisciplinary field which encompasses a large number of analytical techniques aiming to trace and authenticate the origins of agricultural products, food and beverages. Among the analytical strategies have been developed for the authentication of geographical origin of foodstuff, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) increasingly dominates the field as a robust, accurate, and highly sensitive technique for determining the inorganic elements in food substances. Inorganic elements are well known for evaluating the nutritional composition of food products while it has been shown that they are considered as possible tracers for authenticating the geographical origin. This is based on the fact that the inorganic component of identical food type originating from different territories varies due to the diversity of matrix composition. The present systematic literature review focusing on gathering the research has been done up-to-date on authenticating the geographical origin of agricultural products and foods by utilizing the ICP-MS technique. The first part of the article is a tutorial about food safety/control and the fundaments of ICP-MS technique, while in the second part the total research review is discussed.