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Ellis DI, Muhamadali H, Xu Y, Eccles R, Goodall I, Goodacre R. Rapid through-container detection of fake spirits and methanol quantification with handheld Raman spectroscopy. Analyst 2019; 144:324-330. [PMID: 30516175 DOI: 10.1039/c8an01702f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The spirits drinks industry is of significant global economic importance and a major employer worldwide, and the ability to ensure product authenticity and maintain consumer confidence in these high-value products is absolutely essential. Spirit drinks counterfeiting is a worldwide problem, with counterfeiting and adulteration of spirit drinks taking many forms, such as substitution, stretching with lower-grade products, or creation of counterfeits with industrial, surrogate, or locally produced alcohols. Methanol for example, which has been used as a substitute alcohol for ethanol, has a high toxicity in humans. The counterfeiting of spirit drinks is consequently one of the few leading reported types of food fraud which can be directly and unequivocally linked to food safety and health concerns. Here, for the first time, we use handheld Raman spectroscopy with excitation in the near IR (1064 nm) for the through-container differentiation of multiple spirit drinks, detection of multiple chemical markers of counterfeit alcohol, and for the quantification of methanol. We established the limits of detection (LOD) of methanol in the analysed samples from four different spirit types (between 0.23-0.39%), which were considerably lower than a quoted maximum tolerable concentration (MTC) of 2% (v/v) methanol for humans in a 40% alcohol by volume (ABV) spirit drink, and even lower than the general EU limit for naturally occurring methanol in fruit spirits of 0.5% v/v (10 g methanol per L ethanol). We believe that Raman spectroscopy has considerable practicable potential for the rapid in situ through-container detection of counterfeit spirits drinks, as well as for the analysis and protection of other beverages and liquid samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- D I Ellis
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, M1 7DN, UK.
| | - H Muhamadali
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, M1 7DN, UK. and Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
| | - Y Xu
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, M1 7DN, UK. and Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
| | - R Eccles
- Scotch Whisky Research Institute, Research Avenue North, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK
| | - I Goodall
- Scotch Whisky Research Institute, Research Avenue North, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK
| | - R Goodacre
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, M1 7DN, UK. and Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
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Byrne JM, Muhamadali H, Coker VS, Cooper J, Lloyd JR. Scale-up of the production of highly reactive biogenic magnetite nanoparticles using Geobacter sulfurreducens. J R Soc Interface 2016; 12:rsif.2015.0240. [PMID: 25972437 PMCID: PMC4590511 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although there are numerous examples of large-scale commercial microbial synthesis routes for organic bioproducts, few studies have addressed the obvious potential for microbial systems to produce inorganic functional biomaterials at scale. Here we address this by focusing on the production of nanoscale biomagnetite particles by the Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, which was scaled up successfully from laboratory- to pilot plant-scale production, while maintaining the surface reactivity and magnetic properties which make this material well suited to commercial exploitation. At the largest scale tested, the bacterium was grown in a 50 l bioreactor, harvested and then inoculated into a buffer solution containing Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide and an electron donor and mediator, which promoted the formation of magnetite in under 24 h. This procedure was capable of producing up to 120 g of biomagnetite. The particle size distribution was maintained between 10 and 15 nm during scale-up of this second step from 10 ml to 10 l, with conserved magnetic properties and surface reactivity; the latter demonstrated by the reduction of Cr(VI). The process presented provides an environmentally benign route to magnetite production and serves as an alternative to harsher synthetic techniques, with the clear potential to be used to produce kilogram to tonne quantities.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Byrne
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - H Muhamadali
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | - V S Coker
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - J Cooper
- The Centre for Process Innovation, CPI, Wilton Centre, Wilton, Redcar TS10 4RF, UK
| | - J R Lloyd
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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