Microscopic Assessments Prevent Food Fraud

Spice adulteration confers an economic advantage on the adulterator, who adds inferior, alien or less desirable materials or elements. Although the adulterant is often safe for human consumption, it may not be expressly permitted as an addition to food. A 2016 study revealed that oregano samples were contaminated with olive, myrtle and citrus leaves.

Various types of extenders have
been found in spices, e.g. non-spice vegetable matter, or defatted/spent spice meal. While not harmful, these give the appearance of increased volume or weight. In recent years spices were sold as pure, even though valuable constituents were removed. A prominent example is defatted paprika. This material cannot be labelled simply as paprika; it must be labelled in
a manner that will allow the consumer to identify that it is a blend of for example paprika, spent paprika and oleoresin.

Adulteration occasionally becomes a public health issue when a toxic substance or an undeclared allergen is used as an adulterant. In 1994, ground paprika in Hungary was found to be adulterated
with lead oxide, causing the deaths of several people. In late 2014, Canadian and US authorities detected peanut protein
in previously unsuspected unlabelled products. It was found to have been contributed by adulterated cumin and paprika spices.

The inclusion of undeclared or unapproved colour additives renders a spice adulterated. If the colour
is undeclared, the spice is also considered mislabelled. Recent examples include turmeric
and other colour additives in paprika, Sudan Red in chilli powder, and various colour additives in saffron. All these may present a public health risk.

In 2016, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) announced that it would include requirements for food fraud mitigation in its new guidance document (version 7). As
a result, both the BRC (7) and FSSC 22000 (4) standards now include the requirement to complete a vulnerability study (VACCP). This identifies a new approach to managing vulnerabilities and proving the authenticity of foods. It is fast becoming a requirement for the food industry.

Supplier quality assurance plays an important role in protecting your company and consumers from food fraud. It is crucial to understand your supply chain and
keep a watchful eye on your source of raw material. If there is a crop failure in a major growing region of a specific spice, it may be expected that some suppliers will resort to adulteration to meet supply quotas.

Current methodologies to identify the presence of undeclared substances in herbs and spices include organoleptic, macroscopic, microscopic and chemical analysis. It also includes genetic profiling.

The first line of inspection is the look, taste and smell of the herbs or spices being reviewed. This can be limiting as certain products visually appear very similar.

Depending on what is required, FACTS will apply microscopic analysis, and can assist with further chemical analysis and genetic profiling to support the identification of adulterated herbs and spices.

FACTS makes use of a reference text
for the microscopic or histological identification of pure spices. The text provides valuable information to identify adulterants or contaminants in various herbs and spices, to ensure that a pure product was purchased. By referring to
the structure and characteristic shape, size, crystal structure and colour of herbs and spices, a microscopic examination
can identify individual components, and suspected deliberate adulterants and cross-contaminants. Potentially serious and possibly costly and detrimental contamination can be detected earlier and with greater ease, and corrected or avoided before it enters your processing cycle.