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Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Analytical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 16684

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Dr. Gavino Sanna

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Department of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: analytical chemistry; validation of analytical methods; chemometrics and data analysis; environmental chemistry and monitoring; food chemistry and analysis; speciation analysis; science of materials; electroanalytical methods; sensors and biosensors; modification of electrode surfaces; gas-chromatography; liquid chromatography; hyphenated methods; ICP-MS methods; FT-IR methods; determination of trace analytes in foods; food georeferencing and traceability; bioaccumulation of toxic elements in cereals; synthesis and characterization of conductive polymers; biomedical analysis in dental research; studies of equilibria in solution between metal ions and ligands of biological interest; ability of vegetal biomasses in removal of organic pollutants by wastewaters
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Dear Colleagues,

In the globalized world of the 21st century, consumers have definitively lost touch with food producers. On the other hand, the increasing phenomenon of food being contaminated with old and new pollutants is generating strong alarmism among consumers, who are increasingly aware of this risk. As a result, the role of chemical analysis in food production is growing in importance. The growing interest of consumers, the food industry, governments and supranational organizations in food quality and safety enhances the importance of analyses that determine the composition and specific characteristics of the product. For this reason, today more than ever, food chemistry plays a crucial role in enabling scientists and food technologists to optimally manage the quality and safety of their products. Decision making based on analytical data provides guarantees to consumers only if the data are reliable, and this is only possible if analysis is carried out correctly at all stages. For these reasons, not only is the analytic phase, in the strict sense, of decisive importance to obtain reliable data but also the sampling and pretreatment phase and the interpretation of results.

The main objective of this Special Issue is to enable analytical chemists and food science and technology specialists to present original papers (research papers, reviews, and technical notes) on new methods and/or analytical techniques for determining the majority, minority, and trace constituents (or xenobiotics) in foods. Contributions related to the application of new food pretreatment techniques and those aimed at maximizing analytical information by means of chemometric techniques are encouraged. Original contributions aimed at the identification and/or speciation of emerging pollutants in food matrices or chemical objectification of the characteristics of quality and/or origin of foods are also encouraged, while studies related to the application of routine analytical methods on well-known food matrices are not considered within the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Gavino Sanna
Guest Editor

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Keywords

foods
analysis
sampling pre-treatment
chemometrics, quality
origin
xenobiotics
food safety

Related Special Issue

Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities, 2nd Edition in Molecules

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1535 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Elemental Fingerprinting of Pecorino Romano and Pecorino Sardo PDO: Characterization, Authentication and Nutritional Value

by Andrea Mara, Marco Caredda, Margherita Addis, Francesco Sanna, Mario Deroma, Constantinos A. Georgiou, Ilaria Langasco, Maria I. Pilo, Nadia Spano and Gavino Sanna

Molecules 2024, 29(4), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29040869 - 16 Feb 2024

Viewed by 628

Abstract

Sardinia, located in Italy, is a significant producer of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) sheep cheeses. In response to the growing demand for high-quality, safe, and traceable food products, the elemental fingerprints of Pecorino Romano PDO and Pecorino Sardo PDO were determined on 200 samples of cheese using validated, inductively coupled plasma methods. The aim of this study was to collect data for food authentication studies, evaluate nutritional and safety aspects, and verify the influence of cheesemaking technology and seasonality on elemental fingerprints. According to European regulations, one 100 g serving of both cheeses provides over 30% of the recommended dietary allowance for calcium, sodium, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus, and over 15% of the recommended dietary intake for copper and magnesium. Toxic elements, such as Cd, As, Hg, and Pb, were frequently not quantified or measured at concentrations of toxicological interest. Linear discriminant analysis was used to discriminate between the two types of pecorino cheese with an accuracy of over 95%. The cheese-making process affects the elemental fingerprint, which can be used for authentication purposes. Seasonal variations in several elements have been observed and discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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16 pages, 6995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antimony in Polyethylene Terephthalate-Bottled Beverages: The Migration Puzzle

by Sergio Carneado, José Fermín López-Sánchez and Ángeles Sahuquillo

Molecules 2023, 28(20), 7166; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28207166 - 19 Oct 2023

Viewed by 735

Abstract

A novel strategy to assess the main variables that potentially affect the migration of antimony from PET bottles to beverages, including mineral waters and juices, is herein proposed. In a preliminary step, an LC-ICP-MS method previously used for water analysis was optimized to correct identify Sb species present in the studied matrices using HRMS. Subsequently, the influence of temperature and storage time up to 30 days on Sb migration from PET bottles into peach and pineapple juices of the same brand was studied. Storing PET bottled drinks at elevated temperatures (i.e., in a hot car or in summer) can cause antimony migration to exceed the limits allowed in the EU or USA. Because the behavior observed differed from the results reported for Sb migration in mineral waters, a second approach was proposed: three mineral water and two juice samples were kept in different PET containers and stored at an elevated temperature (up to 60 °C) to understand the role of the PET type and matrix simultaneously. This study demonstrated that both matrix characteristics and type of PET bottle greatly influence antimony leaching, highlighting the need to consider these variables together when conducting migration experiments. The obtained results can be helpful for developing future legislation concerning migration of pollutants from packing to food commodities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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8 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Antioxidant Capacity of Fruit Juices by Two Original Analytical Methods

by Michele Protti, Isacco Gualandi, Sergio Zappoli, Roberto Mandrioli, Laura Mercolini and Domenica Tonelli

Molecules 2023, 28(18), 6672; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28186672 - 18 Sep 2023

Viewed by 663

Abstract

Two analytical methods previously developed by our groups were employed to estimate the antioxidant capacity of commercial fruit juices. The electrochemical method, which measures the scavenging activity of antioxidants towards OH radicals generated by both hydrogen peroxide photolysis and Fenton’s reaction, is based on the recovery of the cyclic voltametric response of the redox probe Ru(NH₃)₆³⁺ at a Glassy Carbon electrode modified with a thin film of an insulating polyphenol, in the presence of compounds with antioxidant properties. The values of the antioxidant capacity of the fruit juices are expressed as vitamin C equivalents/L. The chromatographic method is based on the generation of OH radicals via Fenton’s reaction in order to test the inhibition of their formation in the presence of antioxidant compounds by monitoring salicylate aromatic hydroxylation derivatives as markers of •OH production, by means of HPLC coupled to coulometric detection. The results are expressed as the percentage of inhibition of •OH production in the presence of the tested juice compared to the control sample. When OH radicals are produced by Fenton’s reaction, the antioxidant capacity of the juices, estimated by both methods, displays an analogous trend, confirming that they can be considered an alternative for measuring the ability of antioxidants to block OH radical formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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14 pages, 2727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applicability and Limitations of a Capillary-LC Column-Switching System Using Hybrid Graphene-Based Stationary Phases

by João Victor Basolli Borsatto, Edvaldo Vasconcelos Soares Maciel, Alejandro Cifuentes and Fernando Mauro Lanças

Molecules 2023, 28(13), 4999; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28134999 - 26 Jun 2023

Viewed by 781

Abstract

Graphene oxide sheets fixed over silica particles (SiGO) and their modification functionalized with C18 and endcapped (SiGO-C18ec) have been reported as sorbents for extraction and analytical columns in LC. In this study, a SiGO column was selected as the extraction column and a SiGO-C18ec as the analytical column to study the applicability and limitations of a column-switching system composed exclusively of columns packed with graphene-based sorbents. Pyriproxyfen and abamectin B1a were selected as the analytes, and orange-flavored carbonated soft drinks as the matrix. The proposed system could be successfully applied to the pyriproxyfen analysis in a concentration range between 0.5 to 25 µg/mL presenting a linearity of R² = 0.9931 and an intra-day and inter-day accuracy of 82.2–111.4% (RSD < 13.3%) and 95.5–99.8% (RSD < 12.7%), respectively. Furthermore, the matrix composition affected the area observed for the pyriproxyfen: the higher the concentration of orange juice in the soft drink, the higher the pyriproxyfen the signal observed. Additionally, the SiGO extraction column presented a life use of 120 injections for this matrix. In contrast, the proposed system could not apply to the analysis of abamectin B1a, and the SiGO-C18ec analytical column presented significant tailing compared to a similar approach with a C18 analytical column. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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11 pages, 1510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Olive Oil Benefits from Sesame Oil Blending While Extra Virgin Olive Oil Resists Oxidation during Deep Frying

by Evangelia T. Ioannou, Konstantinos S. Gliatis, Evangelos Zoidis and Constantinos A. Georgiou

Molecules 2023, 28(11), 4290; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28114290 - 24 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1924

Abstract

Fresh potatoes were deep-fried in olive oil (OO), extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and their blends with 5%, 10%, and 20% v/v sesame oil (SO). This is the first report on the use of sesame oil as a natural source of antioxidants during olive oil deep frying. The oil was evaluated for anisidine value (AV), free fatty acids (FFAs), extinction coefficient (K₂₃₂ and K₂₇₀), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and total phenols (TPs) until the total polar compounds (TPCs) reached 25%. Sesame lignan transformations were monitored through reversed-phase HPLC. While the TPCs in olive oils increased at a steady rate, the addition of 5%, 10%, and 20% v/v SO delayed TPCs’ formation for 1, 2, and 3 h, respectively. The addition of 5%, 10%, and 20% v/v SO increased the olive oil frying time by 1.5 h, 3.5 h, and 2.5 h, respectively. The addition of SO to OO reduced the secondary oxidation products’ formation rate. The AV for EVOO was lower than OO and all tested blends, even those with EVOO. EVOO was more resistant to oxidation than OO, as measured by the TPCs and TEAC, while the frying time rose from 21.5 to 25.25 h when EVOO replaced OO. The increase in frying time for OO but not for EVOO, after SO addition, points to a niche market for EVOO in deep frying. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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12 pages, 2913 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection of Soybean-Derived Components in Dairy Products Using Proofreading Enzyme-Mediated Probe Cleavage Coupled with Ladder-Shape Melting Temperature Isothermal Amplification (Proofman–LMTIA)

by Fugang Xiao, Menglin Gu, Yaoxuan Zhang, Yaodong Xian, Yaotian Zheng, Yongqing Zhang, Juntao Sun, Changhe Ding, Guozhi Zhang and Deguo Wang

Molecules 2023, 28(4), 1685; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041685 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1502

Abstract

Food adulteration is a serious problem all over the world. Establishing an accurate, sensitive and fast detection method is an important part of identifying food adulteration. Herein, a sequence-specific ladder-shape melting temperature isothermal amplification (LMTIA) assay was reported to detect soybean-derived components using proofreading enzyme-mediated probe cleavage (named Proofman), which could realize real-time and visual detection without uncapping. The results showed that, under the optimal temperature of 57 °C, the established Proofman–LMTIA method for the detection of soybean-derived components in dairy products was sensitive to 1 pg/μL, with strong specificity, and could distinguish soybean genes from those of beef, mutton, sunflower, corn, walnut, etc. The established Proofman–LMTIA detection method was applied to the detection of actual samples of cow milk and goat milk. The results showed that the method was accurate, stable and reliable, and the detection results were not affected by a complex matrix without false positives or false negatives. It was proved that the method could be used for the detection and identification of soybean-derived components in actual dairy products samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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17 pages, 2048 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analytical Methods for the Characterization of Vegetable Oils

by Agnese Giacomino, Paolo Inaudi, Gessica Silletta, Aleandro Diana, Stefano Bertinetti, Elisa Gaggero, Mery Malandrino, Federico Stilo and Ornella Abollino

Molecules 2023, 28(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28010153 - 24 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1247

Abstract

The determination of the authenticity of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) has become more interesting in recent years. Italy is the first country in Europe in terms of number of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) oils, which connects consumers to a feeling of tradition and thus to higher quality standards. This work focused on the consideration of the inorganic content as a possible marker of EVOOs. Ten vegetable oils (VOs), eight Italian EVOOs and seven not Italian EVOOs were analyzed. After pretreatment by acid mineralization, Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Sb, Se and Zn were determined by ICP-OES. The electrochemical properties of a selected group of EVOOs and other vegetal oils of different botanical origin were investigated by voltammetry. Carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) were prepared. The features observed in the voltammograms reflect the reactions of electroactive compounds, which are present in the oils. A chemometric treatment of the results was performed to assess the possibility to distinguish (i) the region of provenience considering the inorganic profile; and (ii) the plant species from which each oil was obtained on the basis of the current profile registered during voltammetric analysis. Inorganic composition seems to be a useful marker for the assessment of the geographical origin of an EVOO. The EVOO-CPEs voltammetry seems to have a good ability to distinguish the plant species of origin. This method could be useful to monitor the conservation status of the oils, as the redox profile is linked to the oxidative degradation state. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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11 pages, 1441 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simultaneous Determination of Seven Pesticides and Metabolite Residues in Litchi and Longan through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Modified QuEChERS

by Siwei Wang, Xiaonan Wang, Qiang He, Haidan Lin, Hong Chang, Haibin Sun and Yanping Liu

Molecules 2022, 27(17), 5737; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175737 - 05 Sep 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1766

Abstract

This study established a QuEChERS high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method for determining azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, picoxystrobin, difenoconazole, chlorantraniliprole, imidacloprid, and cyantraniliprole and its metabolite (IN-J9Z38) in litchi and longan, and applied this method to the real samples. The residues in samples were extracted with acetonitrile and purified with nano-ZrO₂, C₁₈, and PSA. The samples were then detected with multireactive ion monitoring and electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode and quantified using the external matrix-matched standard method. The results showed good linearities for the eight analytes in the range of 1–100 μg/L, with correlation coefficients (r²) of >0.99. The limit of quantification was 1–10 μg/kg, and the limit of detection was 0.3–3 μg/kg. Average recovery from litchi and longan was 81–99%, with the relative standard deviation of 3.5–8.4% at fortified concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 μg/kg. The developed method is simple, rapid, efficient, and sensitive. It allowed the rapid screening, monitoring, and confirming of the aforementioned seven pesticides and a metabolite in litchi and longan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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10 pages, 1233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Gas-Tight Syringe Headspace GC-FID Method for the Detection of Ethanol, and a Description of the Legal and Practical Framework for Its Analysis, in Samples of English and Welsh Motorists’ Blood and Urine

by Luke Taylor, Lili Saskőy, Tara Brodie, Vytautas Remeškevičius, Hannah Jayne Moir, James Barker, John Fletcher, Baljit Kaur Thatti, Gavin Trotter and Brian Rooney

Molecules 2022, 27(15), 4771; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27154771 - 26 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2537

Abstract

Ethanol is the most commonly used recreational drug worldwide. This study describes the development and validation of a headspace gas chromatography flame ionisation detection (HS-GC-FID) method using dual columns and detectors for simultaneous separation and quantitation. The use of a dual-column, dual-detector HS-GC-FID to quantitate ethanol is a common analytical technique in forensic toxicology; however, most analytical systems utilise pressure-balance injection rather than a simplified gas-tight syringe, as per this technique. This study is the first to develop and validate a technique that meets the specifications of the United Kingdom’s requirements for road traffic toxicology testing using a Shimadzu GC-2014 gas-tight syringe. The calibration ranged from 10 to 400 mg/100 mL, with a target minimum linearity of r2 > 0.999, using tertiary butanol as the internal standard marker. The method has an expanded uncertainty at 99.73% confidence of 3.64% at 80 mg/100 mL, which is the blood alcohol limit for drink driving in England and Wales. In addition, at 200 mg%—the limit at which a custodial sentence may be imposed on the defendant—the expanded uncertainty was 1.95%. For both the 80 mg% and 200 mg% concentrations, no bias was present in the analytical method. This method displays sufficient separation for other alcohols, such as methanol, isopropanol, acetaldehyde, and acetone. The validation of this technique complies with the recommended laboratory guidelines set out by United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists (UKIAFT), the recently issued Laboratory 51 guidelines by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), and the criteria set out by the California Code of Regulations (CCR), 17 CCR § 1220.1. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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10 pages, 1485 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Dynamics in Starch Based Confectionery Products including Different Types of Sugar

by Esmanur İlhan, Pelin Poçan, Danuta Kruk, Miłosz Wojciechowski, Maciej Osuch, Roksana Markiewicz, Stefan Jurga and Mecit Halil Oztop

Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2216; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072216 - 29 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2143

Abstract

Starch-based confectionery products were prepared using different types of sugar. In addition to using different sugar, starch was replaced with soy protein isolate (SPI) in some of the products. ¹H NMR spin-lattice relaxation experiments were performed for the collection of products in a broad frequency range from 4 KHz to 30 MHz to get insight into the influence of different sugar types and SPI on the dynamics of water in composite gel systems. The relaxation data have been decomposed into relaxation contributions associated with two different pools of water molecules characterized by different mobility. The translation dynamics of water molecules has been quantitatively described in terms of a dedicated relaxation model. The influence of the sample composition (the type of sugar and/or the presence of SPI) on the water mobility was thoroughly discussed. The results indicate that the addition of soy protein does not affect water dynamics for samples including sucrose. In addition, as the complementary measurements, physical properties of the products, such as the moisture content, water activity and texture, were investigated in terms of X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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13 pages, 2848 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Method for Olive Oil Screening Using Multivariate Analysis of Proton NMR Spectra

by Colleen L. Ray, James A. Gawenis and C. Michael Greenlief

Molecules 2022, 27(1), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27010213 - 30 Dec 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1762

Abstract

A new NMR-based method for the discrimination of olive oils of any grade from seed oils and mixtures thereof was developed with the aim of allowing the verification of olive oil authenticity. Ten seed oils and seven monovarietal and blended extra virgin olive oils were utilized to develop a principal component analysis (PCA) based analysis of ¹H NMR spectra to rapidly and accurately determine the authenticity of olive oils. Another twenty-eight olive oils were utilized to test the principal component analysis (PCA) based analysis. Detection of seed oil adulteration levels as low as 5% v/v has been shown using simple one-dimensional proton spectra obtained using a 400 MHz NMR spectrometer equipped with a room temperature inverse probe. The combination of simple sample preparation, rapid sample analysis, novel processing parameters, and easily interpreted results, makes this method an easily accessible tool for olive oil fraud detection by substitution or dilution compared to other methods already published. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Analysis in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities)

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