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Bigão VLCP, da Silva JJM, Cassiano MHA, da Costa BRB, Gomes NC, Marinho PA, Rodrigues CHP, Aguilar GJ, Bruni AT, Tapia-Blácido DR, De Martinis BS. Uncovering the Counterfeit: A study of whiskey authenticity through volatile organic compound fingerprinting, aroma and color sensory analysis. Food Chem 2024; 447:139023. [PMID: 38507949 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
This study presents a method employing gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME-GC-MS), supplemented with chemometrics (Soft independent modelling of class analogies - SIMCA), to analyze volatile organic compound (VOCs) profiles in suspect whiskey samples. Furthermore, a sensory analysis of aroma and color was conducted with a panel of 52 non-trained volunteers to evaluate their ability to discriminate and preference for counterfeit whiskeys. The HS-SPME-GC-MS method successfully distinguished 41 seized samples from authentic beverages. Interestingly, sensory analysis revealed that panelists could differentiate between counterfeit and authentic samples with a reference standard but did not consistently show a preference for aroma. In some cases, there was even a preference for the color of counterfeit whiskeys. The findings suggest that sensorial tests alone may not effectively distinguish counterfeit from authentic whiskeys, especially for non-expert consumers, highlighting the need for analytical instrumentation methods in fraud detection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Murilo Henrique Anzolini Cassiano
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Pathogenic Bioagents, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14049-900, Brazil
| | | | - Nayna Cândida Gomes
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-093, Brazil
| | - Pablo Alves Marinho
- Instituto de Criminalística, Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 30190-002, Brazil
| | - Caio Henrique Pinke Rodrigues
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology - Forensic Sciences (INCT - Ciências Forenses), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil
| | - Guilherme José Aguilar
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil
| | - Aline Thaís Bruni
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology - Forensic Sciences (INCT - Ciências Forenses), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil; Programa de Cooperação Acadêmica-Segurança Pública e Ciências Forenses (PROCAD-SPCF), Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Delia Rita Tapia-Blácido
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil
| | - Bruno Spinosa De Martinis
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil
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Bigão VLCP, da Costa BRB, Gomes NC, Santos Júnior WJR, Marinho PA, De Martinis BS. From inspection to analysis: A combined approach to identifying counterfeit whiskeys using HS-GC-FID and bottle integrity. Forensic Sci Int 2024; 357:111977. [PMID: 38503039 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.111977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Counterfeiting of alcoholic beverages, particularly high-value spirits such as whiskey, presents significant challenges for regulators, manufacturers, and consumers. In this study, we introduce and validate a novel application of headspace extraction (HS) followed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) for the quantitative determination of ethanol content in 42 suspected counterfeit brazilian samples of whiskeys. This method, in conjunction with visual inspection of material inconsistencies, offers a combined approach to identify potential cases of fraud. The HS-GC-FID findings revealed that only 19% of the analyzed samples had ethanol content in the limits declared on the label, emphasizing the role of ethanol content as a chemical marker for suspected beverage fraud.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nayna Cândida Gomes
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-093, Brazil
| | | | - Pablo Alves Marinho
- Instituto de Criminalística, Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 30190-002, Brazil
| | - Bruno Spinosa De Martinis
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-091, Brazil
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