Page 62 - FoodFocusThailand No.186 September 2021

STRONG QC &
STRONG QC & QAQA

Accurate Gravimetric

Sample Prep.

Detects Honey

and Oil Fraud

Fast and reliable methods are necessary to assess the quality
of foods that may be adulterated before selling, such as honey
and oil. The automatic balance can accurately prepare samples
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of challenging consistency for detailed profiling by nuclear
magnetic resonance, or NMR spectroscopy.

Food fraud takes many forms but often involves deceptive labeling or An automated alternative
the adulteration of foodstuffs with cheaper alternatives. Though examples To improve the accuracy, reproducibility, and efficiency of their sample
of deleterious substitutions exist, including diluting expensive products preparation and analysis workflows by considered a gravimetric
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such as olive oil or spices with allergenic or carcinogenic substances, the solution from automatic balance with assistance from proper
most pronounced effect of food fraud is typically on the customer’s wallet. specialists. Even at very low target weights, the balance’s accuracy
In fact, the global cost to consumers is likely tens of billions of USD annually easily enables dispensing of correct sample and solvent volumes
across a broad range of food and beverage categories. for viscous materials such as honey, which concomitantly permits
Regulatory agencies recommend a variety of methods to detect food reduced consumption of costly NMR-grade solvents. Its speed
adulteration. While genotyping can identify improperly labeled meat and ensures repeatable dosing of volatile compounds such as CDCl .
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fish, molecular analyses such as chromatography and spectroscopy Together, these features improve the reproducibility of sample
provide detailed insight into the composition of liquids and beverages. preparation when materials are limited while minimizing waste
disposal and protecting operators from toxins.
Challenges of manual sample preparation In the analyses, the automatic balance reduced preparation
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A German company is a globally renowned manufacturer of NMR time for honey and olive oil samples by 50 percent while substantially
spectroscopy equipment . The company has already developed a series improving reproducibility (Figure 1). The improved workflow
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of ISO 17025 – accredited methods using H NMR spectroscopy to represents an efficient, robust means to detect food fraud – protecting
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accurately profile the composition of fruit juices, wine, and honey. It is consumers’ health, safety and budgets.
currently refining an application for olive oil. Yet reproducible sample
preparation, which requires sample dissolution in a deuterated solvent, is
a barrier to reliable detection of food adulteration. For example, honey’s
viscosity makes it challenging to weigh small quantities into volumetric More Information Service Info C009
flasks before dissolution in D O and assay. Likewise, olive oil assessment.
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Requires the highly volatile deuterated chloroform (CDCl ) as a solvent. ข้้อมููลเพิ่่�มูเติ่มู / Additional Information
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In each case, the challenging consistencies affect the repeatability of 1 Automated balance Model XPR from METTLER TOLEDO from the USA
results. 2 Mettler-Toledo GmbH from Germany
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