Common Adulterants Research Articles

Development of a detector tube for rapid detection of tadalafil in adulterated dietary supplements

ABSTRACT Introduction Products marketed as dietary supplements for improving sexual performance at times include phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, such as sildenafil and analogues. The ingestion of these dietary supplements is extremely dangerous as these are not evaluated for their efficacy and safety as pharmaceuticals, and their manufacture is not controlled. For this reason, regulatory authorities conduct inspections on these products to prevent the occurrence and spread of health hazards. Tadalafil is one of the PDE5 inhibitors, and its analogues are found as the most major adulterants in sexual products after analogues of sildenafil. Tadalafil has two chiral carbons that are both R configuration, which is important for PDE5 inhibitory activity. To confirm the molecular configuration of the tested compound, it is subject to instrumental analysis such as circular dichroism detection or X-ray crystal structure analysis. Therefore, it takes longer for testing tadalafil than for other compounds that do not require these processes. Meanwhile, in 2020, the product containing 120 times more tadalafil than the normal dosage was detected in Tokyo, making it an urgent issue to remove these dangerous products from the market. This study proposes a simple and rapid method to detect tadalafil with a newly devised detector tube. Objective Development of a detector tube for the rapid screening of tadalafil with simple functioning. Methods Approximately 80 mg of silica gel powder impregnated with sulfuric acid was filled in a glass tube, having a 3-mm inner diameter, to prepare a detector tube. The measuring method of this detector tube is quite simple; first, both tips of the detector tube are cut, then the sample solution is aspirated, and a decision is made by the colour of the detector tube after 5 minutes. It was defined as a positive result when the detector tube turned violet and negative when it showed other colours. First, the reaction of tadalafil and analogues were confirmed using the prepared detector tube. Then, specificity was tested for active pharmaceutical ingredients and common additives. The tube was also tested for the applicability to some commercially available dietary supplements. Results All tested tadalafil and analogues showed positive results in the test. The limit of detection was 5 μg/mL for tadalafil. Except for levomepromazine, results for additives and any pharmaceutical ingredients tested were negative. This tube was able to detect all real samples containing tadalafil and analogues. None of the real samples that did not contain tadalafil and analogues gave false positives. Conclusions The developed detector tube could rapidly detect tadalafil and analogues with high sensitivity in a simple procedure. It was suggested that false-positive results could occur only if levomepromazine was included in the sample. Other than that, no significant interference that leads to false results was observed in tested common adulterants and additives of supplements. Furthermore, the tube was able to detect tadalafil and analogues in all tested real samples. Accordingly, the proposed test method has the potential for the use of preliminary screening of tadalafil.

Retiform Purpura of the Lower Limbs Associated with Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine.

A young man was treated in hospital for sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation and multi-organ failure. He was a regular intranasal cocaine user up to 1 day prior to symptom onset. Clinical examination revealed extensive retiform purpura affecting both his lower limbs. Skin biopsy revealed widespread thrombosis in the small- and medium-sized vessels of the mid dermis and the subcutaneous fat with surrounding leucocytoclasis. There was also extensive ischaemic necrosis of the upper reticular and papillary dermis and focal ischaemic necrosis of the epidermis. These findings were in keeping with a thrombotic vasculopathy with associated cutaneous ischaemic necrosis, likely associated with levamisole-adulterated cocaine (LAC). An autoimmune screen showed extremely raised levels of anti-B2-glycoprotein IgM, IgG and anti-cardiolipin IgG antibodies, usually seen in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The literature describes how APS could be secondary to various underlying conditions, including LAC, and that levamisole toxicity may mimic APS and hence be missed.LEARNING POINTSLevamisole is a common adulterant found in cocaine; the resultant toxicity can present with cutaneous manifestations, namely retiform purpura and skin necrosis, similar to antiphospholipid syndrome.Patients presenting with such features should be asked about illicit drug use, specifically cocaine, and investigated by screening urine for drugs of abuse and serum antihuman elastase antibody when possible.

Guilty by dissociation: Part A: Development of a rapid Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC)-MS/MS methodology for the analysis of regioisomeric diphenidine-derived Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

This study describes the first reported development of a rapid, generic gradient Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) methodology with targeted triple quadrupole MS/MS using electrospray positive ionisation to detect and unambiguously confirm the identity of 33 substituted 1, 2-diarylethamine (or diphenidine) derivatives in solid drug samples. The in-house synthesised library included a range of derivatives possessing either electron donating/withdrawing substituents, commonly included in combinatorial libraries, of varying size and lipophilicity on the phenyl ring. These test probes were used to investigate if their order of elution and that of their regioisomers were dependent on the position and type of the substituent on the phenyl ring. In addition, investigations into the retention mechanism of the diphenidines under reverse-phase UHPLC conditions were undertaken. Common adulterants found within seized bulk samples were assessed to prove that the methodology was specific, and the developed UHPLC-MS/MS (tG = 10 min) protocol was applied to confirm the identity of the psychoactive components within four seized bulk samples provided by law enforcement.

Paraformaldehyde-coated electrochemical sensor for improved on-site detection of amphetamine in street samples

The increasing illicit production, distribution and abuse of amphetamine (AMP) poses a challenge for law enforcement worldwide. To effectively combat this issue, fast and portable tools for the on-site screening of suspicious samples are required. Electrochemical profile (EP)-based sensing of illicit drugs has proven to be a viable option for this purpose as it allows rapid voltammetric measurements via the use of disposable and low-cost graphite screen-printed electrodes (SPEs). In this work, a highly practical paraformaldehyde (PFA)-coated sensor, which unlocks the detectability of primary amines through derivatization, is developed for the on-site detection of AMP in seized drug samples. A potential interval was defined at the sole AMP peak (which is used for identification of the target analyte) to account for potential shifts due to fluctuations in concentration and temperature, which are relevant factors for on-site use. Importantly, it was found that AMP detection was not hindered by the presence of common diluents and adulterants such as caffeine, even when present in high amounts. When inter-drug differentiation is desired, a simultaneous second test with the same solution on an unmodified electrode is introduced to provide the required additional electrochemical information. Finally, the concept was validated by analyzing 30 seized AMP samples (reaching a sensitivity of 96.7 %) and comparing its performance to that of commercially available Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) devices.

Non-contact detection of fentanyl by a field-portable ion mobility spectrometer.

Rapid on-site detection of fentanyl is paramount for the safety of law enforcement and other first responders. Due to the opioid epidemic, death by overdose is at an all-time high with fentanyl adulteration as the main assailant. Providing a user-friendly method for the presumptive detection of fentanyl will increase safety for first responders. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) provides a quick, affordable, and accurate method for detecting fentanyl. Currently, most methods for detecting fentanyl require manipulation or handling of the highly potent substance. A recent comparative analysis study on the headspace of fentanyl determined N-phenylpropanamide (NPPA) a target analyte for fentanyl enabling vapor detection. Here, we demonstrate the development of a handheld IMS method for vapor detection of the target analyte for fentanyl. An alarm was programmed into the handheld IMS device for the detection of NPPA. The system was able to accurately detect NPPA in samples of reference-grade fentanyl and diluted reference-grade fentanyl, as well as 3.67 mg of fentanyl from samples confiscated from the US border. Common adulterants and over-the-counter drugs were tested and resulted in a false alarm rate of 0 for substances sampled. The limit of detection was determined to be as low as 5 ng of NPPA. Overall, the development of this user-friendly, non-contact method has considerable promise for near real-time non-contact detection of fentanyl increasing safety of first responders.

On-site illicit-drug detection with an integrated near-infrared spectral sensor: A proof of concept

Illicit-drug production, trafficking and seizures are on an all-time high. This consequently raises pressure on investigative authorities to provide rapid forensic results to assist law enforcement and legal processes in drug-related cases. Ideally, every police officer is equipped with a detector to reliably perform drug testing directly at the incident scene. Such a detector should preferably be small, portable, inexpensive and shock-resistant but should also provide sufficient selectivity to prevent erroneous identifications. This study explores the concept of on-site drugs-of-abuse detection using a 1.8 × 2.2 mm2 multipixel near-infrared (NIR) spectral sensor that potentially can be integrated into a smartphone. This integrated sensor, based on an InGaAs-on-silicon technology, exploits an array of resonant-cavity enhanced photodetectors without any moving parts. A 100% correct classification of 11 common illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals and adulterants was achieved by chemometric modelling of the response of 15 wavelength-specific pixels. The performance on actual forensic casework was investigated on 246 cocaine-suspected powders and 39 MDMA-suspected ecstasy tablets yielding an over 90% correct classification in both cases. These findings show that presumptive drug testing by miniaturized spectral sensors is a promising development ultimately paving the way for a fully integrated drug-sensor in mobile communication devices used by law enforcement.

Co-administration of morphine and levamisole increases death risk, produces neutropenia and modifies antinociception in mice.

Levamisole is a veterinary anthelmintic drug and a common adulterant of misused drugs. This study analyses the lethal, antinociceptive and haematological effects produced by acute or repeated levamisole administration by itself or combined with morphine. Independent groups of male Swiss Webster mice were i.p. injected with 100 mg/kg morphine, 31.6mg/kg levamisole (lethal doses at 10%, LD10 ) or the same doses combined. Naloxone pretreatment (10mg/kg, i.p.) prevented morphine-induced death, as did 2.5mg/kg, i.p. mecamylamine with levamisole. Co-administration of levamisole and morphine (Lvm + Mor) increased lethality from 10% to 80%. This augmented effect was prevented by 30 mg/kg, i.p. naloxone and reduced with 10mg/kg naloxone plus 2.5mg/kg, i.p. mecamylamine. In independent groups of mice, 17.7mg/kg, i.p. levamisole antagonized the acute morphine's antinociceptive effect evaluated in the tail-flick test. Repeated 17.7mg/kg levamisole administration (2×/day/3weeks) did not affect tolerance development to morphine (10mg/kg, 3×/day/1week). Blood samples obtained from mice repeatedly treated with levamisole showed leukopenia and neutropenia. Morphine also produced neutropenia, increased erythrocyte count and other related parameters (e.g. haemoglobin). Lvm + Mor had similar effects on leukocyte and neutrophil counts to those seen with levamisole only, but no erythrocyte-related alterations were evident. Blood chemistry analysis did not indicate liver damage but suggested some degree of electrolyte balance impairment. In conclusion, Lvm + Mor increased death risk, altered morphine-induced antinociceptive effects and produced haematologic abnormalities. The importance of studying combinations of drugs of abuse lies in the fact that drug users frequently combine drugs, which are commonly adulterated.

HPLC/Fluorescence-Diode Array Detection for Rapid and Reliable Determination of Illegal Synthetic Drugs in Male Sexual Herbal and Honey Remedies: Comparative Study with UFLC-MS.

Nutraceuticals (NTCs), as honey and tablets with herbal extract are subjected to adulteration. For NTCs claimed to enhance sexual performance, synthetic drugs (sildenafil, tadalafil, avanafil, vardenafil, and dapoxetine) are common adulterants, so they were selected to be simultaneously analyzed in the current study. Natural aphrodisiacs (icariin and yohimbine) are claimed to be present in many fake NTCs, so they were also included in the study. In order to achieve the target of the current study, three liquid chromatographic methods with different unique detectors were developed and validated. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection enables rapid and reliable determination of natively fluorescent yohimbine, tadalafil vardenafil, and dapoxetine and it is the first report to analyze these compounds as adulterants in counterfeit NTC. Although the diode-array detector (DAD) enables the analysis of the seven adulterants, the fluorescence detector (FLD) shows better sensitivity and selectivity with lower LOQs and LODs. On the other hand, ultra-fast liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS) offers the advantages of peak identity confirmation, and it is of comparable sensitivity and selectivity to HPLC-FLD. One or more of these synthetic drugs were found in the analyzed NTCs while natural aphrodisiacs were absent. Aphrodisiac nutraceuticals, NTCs, were analyzed for adulterants: five aphrodisiac synthetic drugs (adulterants) and two natural claimed aphrodisiacs. UFLC-MS and HPLC-DAD/FLD were compared for illicit NTCs analysis; all NTCs show the presence of synthetic aphrodisiacs and the absence of natural ones.

Authentication and Quality Assessment of Plumeriae Rubrae Flos by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and UHPLC-DAD Combined With Chemometrics.

Plumeriae rubrae flos, the dried flowers of Plumeria rubra cv. acutifolia (PRCA), is one of the most important materials of herbal tea in China. Recently, due to the lack of effective quality evaluation standards, it has been found that Plumeria rubra (PR) and Plumeria rubra var. alba (PRVA) were pretended to be PRCA in herbal material markets. To establish an effective method for comprehensive quality assessment on plumeriae rubrae flos, and distinguishing PRCA from its common adulterants, PR and PRVA. In this study, a method combined application of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS), UHPLC with a diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD), and chemometrics was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of PRCA, PR, and PRVA, based on their multiple components. A total of 26 components were identified by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, including nine flavonoids, eight iridoids, seven phenolic acids, and two coumarins from PRCA. Quantified fingerprints were established and validated using UHPLC-DAD based on 18 chemical markers in PRCA, PR, and PRVA samples. The multivariate statistical analysis of quantitative results demonstrated clear discrimination of PRCA, PR, and PRVA, which indicated that isoquercetin, luteolin-3'-O-β-D-glucoside, 15-demethylplumieride P-E-coumarate, and 4-O-beta-glucopyranosyl-cis-coumaric acid could be considered the most obvious characteristic components for distinguishing PRCA from PR and PRVA. A combination of quantitative fingerprint and chemometrics analysis provided an effective and reliable strategy for the quality control of PRCA. The current study was prospected to apply a comprehensive quality control method for plumeriae rubrae flos.

A Study on Milk Adulteration and methods of detection of various Chemical Adulterants qualitatively

The food Adulteration now becomes a worldwide issue as the emergent nations are at very high risk associated with this Adulteration. The milk is an important part of our daily life and is consumed on the daily basis but, now a days milk is being adulterated by several chemicals due to lack of monitoring, unhygienic conditions and for financial gain. Unfortunately, various chemical Adulterants can pose danger health risks that lead to many lethal diseases including heart problems, diarrhoea, CNS disorders, irritation and gastrointestinal disorders. Various common Adulterants like benzoic acid, urea, water, skimmed milk powder, sugar, detergent were detected in the pure milk samples which concludes that the milk samples doesn’t meet the expected quality accepted as standard. Many studies have been carried out on milk Adulteration and detection techniques. This Present work gives a clear view of the quality of milk. This article gives a comprehensive review of the common Adulterants added in milk along with the various methods of detection qualitatively.

Molecular Imprinting With Polyaniline on ENIG Finish PCB Electrodes for Electrochemical Detection of Melamine

Electrochemical sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) leverage predetermined recognition sites (templates) for binding of analytes of interest, resulting in high selectivity and sensitivity, ease of preparation and portability. The choice of monomers and cross-linkers depends heavily on choice of substrate for in situ electropolymerization, and damage to the template caused by methods used to wash away the analyte after formation of MIP on the substrate result in limitations for batch-compatible synthesis methods of such sensors. In this paper, we describe a method to utilize low-cost ENIG finish PCB electrodes as electrochemical sensor substrates for detection of melamine, a common adulterant in milk, through molecular imprinting in polyaniline (PANI). The MIP was synthesized using chemical synthesis method and drop-casted onto the electrodes, thus realizing a low-cost fabrication method. Preliminary results for melamine detection are reported, along with performance evaluation of various synthesis methods to synthesize polyaniline.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of agar in edible bird's nest and related products based on a daughter oligosaccharide-marker approach using LC-QTOF-MS

Agar is a common adulterant of edible bird's nest (EBN) and is often added in preparation of EBN products. Currently, there is no method that can be used to assess agar content in products because it is difficult to analyze a macromolecule that does not absorb UV. Herein, we report an efficient qualitative and quantitative method for detecting agar in food products based on a daughter oligosaccharide-marker approach. There are three steps: 1) acid hydrolysis of parent agar to release daughter oligosaccharides, 2) p-aminobenzoic ethyl ester (ABEE) labeling, 3) Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) analysis. Twenty-four daughter oligosaccharides found to be specific to agar were selected as qualitative authentication markers. One of them, which showed high signal abundance and satisfactory linearity with standard agar, was selected as the assay marker; and it was identified as neoagarotetraose by comparing with standard references. Based on this marker, a qualitative and quantitative analytical method was successfully developed and well-validated in terms of linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy. This method revealed that agar is being used as a minor adulterant (one out of 12) in EBN raw material. In this study, 60% of commercial “agar” was, in fact, starch and a significant number of EBN products labeled as having agar either did not contain agar or did not contain the amount listed on the label. It is proved that this oligomer approach can be used to improve quality control of all commercial products labeled as or containing agar. Furthermore, this oligomer approach is efficient and reliable in the quality analysis of other polymers like agar.

Identification of distinguishable engineering characteristics of black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown mustard (Brassica juncea) and argemone (Argemone mexicana)

Adulteration of edible oils is prevalent and widespread. Argemone (Argemone mexicana) seeds are a common adulterant to black mustard (Brassica nigra) or brown mustard (Brassica juncea) seeds. This paper reports a comparative analysis of the different engineering properties (viz. geometric, gravimetric, frictional, mechanical, chromatic and aerodynamic) of these seeds. Fisher's least significant difference test was applied to analyze the statistical difference between the mean values of the engineering properties of these seeds. Significant (p<0.01) difference was observed in weight, axial length, bulk density and terminal velocity of these seeds. The mechanical properties and frictional properties of these three seeds on plywood and aluminium surface varied significantly (p<0.05). Machine learning techniques, namely- artificial neural network, radial basic function, support vector machine and random forest were applied to classify B. juncea, B. nigra and A. mexicana seeds. Random forest classification model demonstrated highest accuracy (86.78%) with a kappa statistics of 0.80.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Applied to the Detection of Multiple Adulterants in Roasted and Ground Arabica Coffee.

Roasted coffee has been the target of increasingly complex adulterations. Sensitive, non-destructive, rapid and multicomponent techniques for their detection are sought after. This work proposes the detection of several common adulterants (corn, barley, soybean, rice, coffee husks and robusta coffee) in roasted ground arabica coffee (from different geographic regions), combining near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics (Principal Component Analysis—PCA). Adulterated samples were composed of one to six adulterants, ranging from 0.25 to 80% (w/w). The results showed that NIR spectroscopy was able to discriminate pure arabica coffee samples from adulterated ones (for all the concentrations tested), including robusta coffees or coffee husks, and independently of being single or multiple adulterations. The identification of the adulterant in the sample was only feasible for single or double adulterations and in concentrations ≥10%. NIR spectroscopy also showed potential for the geographical discrimination of arabica coffees (South and Central America).

Rapid and Sensitive Analytical Assessment of Curcuminoids and Three Common Turmeric Adulterants in a Single Run Using Liquid Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Rapid and Sensitive Analytical Assessment of Curcuminoids and Three Common Turmeric Adulterants in a Single Run Using Liquid Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Impurities, adulterants and cutting agents in cocaine as potential candidates for retrospective mining of GC-MS data

Cocaine is one of the most widely used illicit drugs worldwide. Cocaine powders seized by the Police may contain numerous other substances besides the drug itself. These can be impurities originating from the coca plant or the production process, or be purposely added to the drug formulation as adulterants and cutting agents. In forensic laboratories, identification of cocaine is routinely done through GC-MS analysis, but other components are often ignored even if the method allows for their detection. Yet, they can provide valuable insight into the history of a seizure and its potential connection to other samples. To explore this idea, an extensive review of common impurities and adulterants encountered in cocaine is presented. Based on their incidence, concentration in the end product and compatibility with GC-MS methods, their overall usefulness as candidates for the statistical investigation of existing forensic data is evaluated. The impurities cis- and trans-cinnamoylcocaine, tropacocaine, norcocaine and N-benzoylnormethylecgonine as well as the adulterants lidocaine, procaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid, phenacetin, ibuprofen, levamisole, hydroxyzine and diltiazem are promising candidates to provide additional forensic intelligence. Future research on optimized routine GC-MS methods, signal reproducibility, comparison, statistics and databases is suggested to facilitate this concept. Ultimately, such an approach may significantly advance the amount of information that is extracted from routine casework data, elucidate developments in the cocaine markets in the past and facilitate Police work in the future. Preliminary assessment of existing data from the forensic laboratory of the Amsterdam Police has been included to show that the detection of the identified target impurities is feasible, and that small adjustments to the analysis method could significantly increase the detectability of these analytes in prospective drug screenings. Forensic intelligence based on retrospective data mining of cocaine containing casework samples may thus be realized with minimal additional laboratory efforts by using already available instrumentation, samples and data.

A Membrane-Modulated Centrifugal Microdevice for Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay-Based Detection of Illicit and Misused Drugs.

Increased opioid use and misuse have imposed large analytical demands across clinical and forensic sectors. Due to the absence of affordable, accurate, and simple on-site tests (e.g., point of interdiction and bedside), analysis is primarily conducted in centralized laboratories via time-consuming, labor-intensive methods. Many healthcare facilities do not have such analytical capabilities and must send samples to commercial laboratories, increasing turnaround time and care costs, as well as delaying public health warnings regarding the emergence of specific substances. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are used ubiquitously, despite lengthy workflows that require substantial manual intervention. Faster, reliable analytics are desperately needed to mitigate the mortality and morbidity associated with the current substance use epidemic. We describe one such alternative─a portable centrifugal microfluidic ELISA system that supplants repetitive pipetting with rotationally controlled fluidics. Embedded cellulosic membranes act as microvalves, permitting flow only when centrifugally generated hydraulic pressure exceeds their liquid entry pressure. These features enable stepwise reagent introduction, incubation, and removal simply by tuning rotational frequency. We demonstrate the success of this platform through sensitive, specific colorimetric detection of opiates, a subclass of opioids naturally derived from the opium poppy. Objective image analysis eliminated subjectivity in human color perception and permitted reliable detection of opiates in buffer and artificial urine at the ng/μL range. Opiates were clearly differentiated from other drug classes without interference from common adulterants known to cause false positive results in current colorimetric field tests. Eight samples were simultaneously analyzed in under 1 h, a marked reduction from the traditional multiday timeline. This approach could permit rapid, automatable ELISA-based drug detection outside of traditional laboratories by nontechnical personnel.

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Papaver based on ITS2 barcoding.

In forensic cases suspected to involve Papaver somniferum, species identification is key to the investigation. To accurately detect and identify P.somniferum as well as common adulterants of the same genus, 19 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences of P.somniferum (256bp), Papaver canescens (254bp), Papaver nudicaule (254bp), Papaver pavoninum (250bp), Papaver radicatum (254bp), and Papaver rhoeas (256bp) were obtained. Based on the ITS2 sequence, similarity analysis via BLAST, the nearest Kimura-2-parameter (K2P) genetic distances were calculated, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA X software for the identification of six species of Papaver. Finally, differences in the ITS2 secondary structure between species were analyzed. The best matches of the P.somniferum ITS2 sequence were of other P.somniferum from different sources. The nearest K2P genetic distances between P.somniferum and its counterparts from other sources were zero, which was the smallest pairwise genetic distance among distances from the other five Papaver species. Various sources of P.somniferum clustered into an independent branch in the phylogenetic tree. The secondary structures of P.somniferum and P.rhoeas were significantly different from those of the other four species of Papaver. In summary, P.somniferum can be effectively distinguished from five closely related plants of the same genus by using ITS2 as a DNA barcode.

Authentication of pomegranate juice using multidimensional analysis of its metabolites.

With the growing popularity and demand of pomegranate juice, its adulteration has also steadily increased. In this study, to authenticate pure or adulterated juice, the major components of pomegranate juice were compared with those of grape, peach, and apple juices (which are common adulterants in pomegranate juice) using liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry, ion chromatography, and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. The various parameters evaluated were as follows: the ratio of malic acid to citric acid content, presence of tartaric acid, and levels of glucose, fructose, and mannitol, and sucrose. Potassium was the most abundant mineral in pomegranate juice, and the content ratio of other minerals/potassium did not exceed 0.1. The reliability of this method was confirmed in blind tests and monitoring experiments with commercial pomegranate juice. In conclusion, a simple and effective method was developed to detect adulteration in pomegranate juice.

Siamese network‐based computer vision approach to detect papaya seed adulteration in black peppercorns

Food adulteration is a growing peril for consumers, traders, and manufacturers worldwide. Food fraud costs the economy a fortune and creates mistrust among consumers and merchants. Black Pepper is a valuable and heavily adulterated spice. This study explores the ability of deep learning coupled with image processing to identify black pepper contaminated with its common adulterant papaya seeds. Prevalent methods work on a relatively small sample, requiring specialization and resources. Our research proposes a system to quickly and economically obtain a method to trace added impurities. It is a problematic venture for one-shot image classification systems to differentiate between identical entities. Therefore, we implement a Siamese network that is proficient in it. A data set of 2,000 images of each class is created. After experimentation, the training and validation accuracy of 0.96 and 0.92 is obtained, while human eye judgment of the same images gave a correctness score of 0.97. Novelty impact statement A novel non-destructive, agile, cost-effective, user-friendly technique to trace papaya seeds' adulteration in black peppercorns using Artificial Intelligence. The proposed system is better in accuracy than the majority of existing approaches.