Vol. 35, issue 04, article # 10

Abstract:

Economically motivated adulterations (EMAs) of food and juice are a serious threat to our health. Although several accurate analytical methods are available to detect fraudulent ingredients in the supply chain, fast and user-friendly techniques are still missing, especially if reliable deployment in industrial settings is needed. After many years of application of laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) to food fraud detection with CO₂ lasers, the Diagnostic and Metrology Laboratory of ENEA developed a portable and robust prototype based on a quantum cascade laser (QCL) to rapidly and easily identify EMAs in real scenarios. Fruit juice was used as a case study to evaluate its performance. Two EMAs were sensed in a few minutes and chemometrics tools allowed their quantification.

Keywords:

quantum cascade laser application, laser spectroscopy, photoacoustic technique, agrofood chain, rapid detection of food frauds, juice adulteration with added sugars

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