Nuts and dried fruits

The origin of nuts and dried foods can become of high importance when there are some regions in the world connected with negative associations such as poor labor conditions or mix-up allegations. But how can someone be sure to really get what is intended to buy? How is it possible to establish and maintain customer trust when manipulation can be very diverse and goes beyond false information about the origin of a product? Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) can help answer questions about the geographic origin and authenticity of your fruits and vegetables at all points of the supply chain.

By determining and interpreting the stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen of any fruit or vegetable, the so-called isotope fingerprint (consisting of all five ratios) is established which is characteristic for the sample and can be compared to reference data from reference samples from different regions or to a data base. To achieve high geographical resolution and credible results, we use our global database, as well as our expertise and know-how to provide advanced customized origin testing by including more parameters. Any information on the samples such as suspected (not declared) origin, farming style, etc. is helpful.

In some cases it can be of interest if a sample comes from a certain batch. Unknown factors of differentiation, for example different qualities of lots and sublots can be addressed by untargeted fingerprinting of the products with one or more analytical methods of our portfolio, in order to identify differences and provide useful information for further investigation of such inconsistencies.

Isotope analysis plays a decisive role when it comes to traceability of batches in the areas of production, import and export. With retained samples, the identity of products can be verified independently of documents – a control sample is directly compared with an original reference sample, providing strong evidence of authenticity.

Another known problem can also be addressed with the batch comparison: Residues of ethylene oxide, which is used for fumigation to kill germs. The carcinogenic gas is banned in the EU, but is still used in other countries on foods such as sesame.

If the focus is on the detection of a (partial) substitution of the listed ingredients by another botanical material, identification of these species can be a supporting analytical method of choice.