Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 03 | JULY 2016 it turned out that only 63 of these parameters served to distinguish Italian extra virgin olive oil from others . Nonetheless , it would be a challenge for any fraudster to tweak 63 olive oil parameters correctly to deceive an NTS system to pass the adulterated oil as authentic ( Figure 9 ). An NTS system not only allows identification of geographic origin fraud , it also allows a determination of the harvest season ( e . g ., 2014 / 2015 or 2015 / 2016 ). These methods increase the granularity of detection to a much higher level , increasing the challenge to potential fraudsters .
An NTS model has also been built ( using a liquid chromatography separation technique ) for the authentication of Parmigiano-Reggiano . This cheese has Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO ) designation in Europe , identified through a quality seal , which only applies to cheeses manufactured in a specific region in northern Italy and with a specific method and ripening period . A cheese manufactured and ripened in the same way as Parmigiano-Reggiano , but produced in the south of Italy , cannot be called Parmigiano-Reggiano . Cattle from which milk is used for the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano cannot be fed silage or fermented feeds , and no additives or preservatives can be used . The NTS model was able to distinguish among very similar samples that were produced in neighboring regions , as well as cheeses produced in the applicable region following the
Parmigiano Reggiano requirements , but using milk from a different provenance .
Conclusions
Given the 200 + year history of food fraud , the complexity of the food supply chain , and the projection of increasing food and water prices , there are plenty of incentives for fraudsters . To reiterate what was stated at the beginning : history will continue to repeat itself . Looking at the recently completed OPSON V 21 , a three-month operation involving police forces in 57 countries , no less than 10,000 MT of illicit food and drink were seized . This is the fifth year this operation has been conducted , and yielded the largest ever haul . How much will OPSON VI yield ?
Like with any crime , what is uncovered by police typically only reflects a fraction of the crime that occurs . Fortunately , there are more tools now than ever before helping to minimize the risk of being affected by food fraud : vulnerability assessment tools , mitigation guidance documents , food fraud databases , continuous market intelligence , and novel and innovative analytical methods . Yet , there is always more work to be done . Two promising areas of research and development include prediction algorithms based on economic data and protected systems for information sharing . Economic and pricing conditions are widely cited as one potential predictor of fraud risk . However , publicly validated data sources and algorithms for using the data to predict risks are still in the very early stages of development . Another potentially valuable source of information for identifying food fraud incidents earlier is data created and collected during testing as part of business-to-business food ingredient transactions . This data is proprietary and has not traditionally been shared ; however , it would potentially be very valuable for identifying quality assurance and fraud issues in food supply chains before human illnesses result . The race between fraudsters and those trying to prevent food fraud is likely to continue for another 200 years . Practical vulnerability assessment tools and resources , innovations in analytical methods , and development of novel approaches to data analysis and data sharing will hopefully keep the advantage on the side of those trying to prevent food fraud .
Acknowledgement
The authors are indebted to Carmen Diaz-Amigo for creating the original artwork of this publication . The copyright has been exclusively granted for this artwork residing within this publication . Extraction , modification or reproduction of any kind outside of this publication without prior written approval by the owner of the artwork is not permitted .
Authors may be reached on email : Bert Popping : bert . popping @ mxns . com , Karen Everstine : KDE @ usp . org .
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