Food Provenance Research Articles

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of edible oils using HRAM MS with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) source

Fatty acids represent major components of cell membranes, serve as energy sources, modulate gene transcription and cell signalling and act as cytokine precursors. It is increasingly apparent that dietary fatty acids influence these vital functions and affect human health. Consequently, analytical techniques are required to identify and quantify the suite of fatty acids present in food and human tissues. Advances in mass spectrometry (MS) offer new opportunities to profile and quantify fatty acids in biological samples. Our aim was to demonstrate the use of GC- atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI)-ion mobility spectrometry (IMS)-TOF-MS to provide highly specific and sensitive quantification of known fatty acids plus a comprehensive overview of all the eluted analytes. Ionisation was achieved using an APCI source. This new approach was demonstrated on a range of commercial edible oils. Compared to standard GC techniques using flame ionisation detection (FID) or a single quadrupole MS with electron ionisation, GC-APCI-IMS-TOF-MS greatly increased compound selectivity and specificity, leading to greatly enhanced confidence in fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) identification and quantification. Our approach also added the fingerprint of high-resolution accurate mass (HRAM) discovery data, with collision cross section (CCS) values, relating to many other analytes. This method can be readily applied to study food provenance, food fraud and to identify fatty acid related illnesses.

Blockchain and geographical indications: a natural fit?

... Blockchain is a lightning rod—attracting both starry-eyed entrepreneurs and industry behemoths. Discovering the technology’s transformative potential beyond cryptocurrency has become routine: its proponents claim that blockchain could ‘revolutionize’ a myriad of industries.1 One of the most established blockchain applications is in food supply chains. Blockchain’s ability to more efficiently and effectively trace goods, its near immutability, and its capacity to increase coordination amongst disparate parties are all touted as bringing greater transparency and assurance of a product’s origin and quality. Supply chains involve frequent transactions as products flow to market, so a complete and accurate record of those transactions is important.2 Trust in the food industry is severely lacking; for both consumers and companies, the provenance, quality and safety of food are of enormous significance.3 Blockchain is seen as especially advantageous in quickly tracking goods that need to be recalled to ensure food safety4; several successful pilots have been implemented, including those by Walmart on IBM’s Food Trust blockchain platform5 and Auchan on TE-Food’s FoodChain blockchain platform.6 Blockchain’s features have allowed food supply chains to increase confidence in the provenance, authenticity and quality of their goods.7

Food Matrix Reference Materials for Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur Stable Isotope-Ratio Measurements: Collagens, Flours, Honeys, and Vegetable Oils.

An international project developed, quality-tested, and measured isotope-delta values of 10 new food matrix reference materials (RMs) for hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur stable isotope-ratio measurements to support food authenticity testing and food provenance verification. These new RMs, USGS82 to USGS91, will enable users to normalize measurements of samples to isotope-delta scales. The RMs include (i) two honeys from Canada and tropical Vietnam, (ii) two flours from C3 (rice) and C4 (millet) plants, (iii) four vegetable oils from C3 (olive, peanut) and C4 (corn) plants, and (iv) two collagen powders from marine fish and terrestrial mammal origins. An errors-in-variables regression model included the uncertainty associated with the measured and assigned values of the RMs, and it was applied centrally to normalize results and obtain consensus values and measurement uncertainties. Utilization of these new RMs should facilitate mutual compatibility of stable isotope data if accepted normalization procedures are applied and documented.

Assessing geographic controls of hair isotopic variability in human populations: A case-study in Canada.

Studying the isotope variability in fast-growing human tissues (e.g., hair, nails) is a powerful tool to investigate human nutrition. However, interpreting the controls of this isotopic variability at the population scale is often challenging as multiple factors can superimpose on the isotopic signals of a current population. Here, we analyse carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotopes in hair from 590 Canadian resident volunteers along with demographics, dietary and geographic information about each participant. We use a series of machine-learning regressions to demonstrate that the isotopic values in Canadian residents' hair are not only influenced by dietary choices but by geographic controls. First, we show that isotopic values in Canadian residents' hair have a limited range of variability consistent with the homogenization of Canadian dietary habits (as in other industrialized countries). As expected, some of the isotopic variability within the population correlates with recorded individual dietary choices. More interestingly, some regional spatial patterns emerge from carbon and sulphur isotope variations. The high carbon isotope composition of the hair of eastern Canadians relative to that of western Canadians correlates with the dominance of corn in the eastern Canadian food-industry. The gradient of sulphur isotope composition in Canadian hair from coast to inland regions correlates with the increasing soil pH and decreasing deposition of marine-derived sulphate aerosols in local food systems. We conclude that part of the isotopic variability found in the hair of Canadian residents reflects the isotopic signature associated with specific environmental conditions and agricultural practices of regional food systems transmitted to humans through the high consumption rate of intra-provincial food in Canada. Our study also underscores the strong potential of sulphur isotopes as tracers of human and food provenance.

Imagined foodways: social and spatial representations of an Inuit food system in transition

ABSTRACT In this study, we examined the social and spatial representations the Nunavimmiut have of their contemporary foodways. Based on Anderson’s concept of ‘imagined communities’ [1991. Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Rev. ed.). Verso books], we drew on the notion of ‘imagined foodways’ to capture the cultural and territorial distance between imagined and actual dietary patterns. With the spatial organization of the global food system undergoing considerable upheaval, food provenance is an important – although often neglected – dimension of foodways. The aim of this study was to identify the geographical imaginary the Nunavimmiut associate with different types of foods and food sources. To this end, participatory workshops were held in Kuujjuaq and Kangiqsujuaq in Nunavik between June 2016 and May 2018, which resulted in the creation of mental food maps. The results showed that the imagined foodways represent an idealized version of food that maintains the Nunavimmiut’s close relationship to the land as a source of nourishment and to their traditions. Traditional foods are still highly regarded and underpin an intimate relationship with and detailed knowledge of the land. In contrast, commercial foods, although they account for about 80% of the food consumed in Nunavik, arouse less interest and are the subject of a more ambiguous relationship.

Blockchain Technology for Agriculture: Applications and Rationale

The blockchain is a ledger of accounts and transactions that are written and stored by all participants. It promises a reliable source of truth about the state of farms, inventories and contracts in agriculture, where the collection of such information is often incredibly costly. The blockchain technology can track the provenance of food and thus helps create trustworthy food supply chains and build trust between producers and consumers. As a trusted way of storing data, it facilitates the use of data-driven technologies to make farming smarter. In addition, jointly used with smart contracts, it allows timely payments between stakeholders that can be triggered by data changes appearing in the blockchain This article examines the applications of blockchain technology in food supply chains, agricultural insurance, smart farming, transactions of agricultural products for both theoretical and practical perspectives. We also discuss the challenges of recording transactions made by smallholder farmers and creating the ecosystem for utilizing the blockchain technology in the food and agriculture sector.

Food provenance: assuring product integrity and identity

Abstract Food supply chains are highly complex and involve numerous actors who influence food safety and the integrity of products and processes, both at individual points in the supply chain and more holistically throughout the chain as a whole. Provenance can relate to a particular source or origin of a food and its individual ingredients, and/or relate to claims on how the product is produced and what marketing claims have been attached to the product. The aim of this review is to consider the recent advances in developing transparent data systems to demonstrate food provenance. One technological development is the use of Blockchain, a data handling structure that provides a secure network of information that cannot be changed or destroyed, distributed between supply chain actors. Other developments in information systems that can be used to monitor a range of criteria include geographic information systems (GISs) that can be linked with, for example, stable isotope analysis to provide an indication of provenance for a given product or ingredient. This technology is used as a case study in this paper to demonstrate the opportunities and limitations to such technological approaches. The review reflects on aspects of provenance and the actions that can be taken at organisational and supply chain level to demonstrate transparency so that consumers can have trust in those procuring, processing and supplying food.

PAUSE THE BLOCKCHAIN LEGAL REVOLUTION

AbstractWhen bitcoin was released by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, few could have predicted that it would attract as much attention as it has today. It has spawned a veritable host of other cryptocurrencies, including ether on the upstart Ethereum network, which boasts smart contract functionality. The underlying blockchain technology has also attracted attention, with some within the blockchain community suggesting that it can solve such diverse problems as secured digital voting to tracking food provenance. In the legal context, blockchains have been envisaged as capable of revolutionising registries for assets ranging from land to intellectual property, modernising clearing and settlement, and even fundamentally transforming the contracting process. This article critically evaluates the popular claims surrounding the potential of blockchain technologies to disrupt the legal system by separating hype from fact.

Food Industry Forensics: Safety and Quality Issues

Taking into consideration its importance to life in general, food will stay the most fundamental of our necessities, as it represents the source of all the energy needed to carry out daily activities, including those which delineate the very specifics of life. Authorities have reinforced strict regulations for certain information to be outlined in the labels and labeling, which should comply to the rules and regulations set by describing properly the geographical provenance and authenticity of all that is claimed in terms of quality and composition on the packaging labels. The rules, guidelines and regulations that have been set utter extensively about the legality of the whole issue on food provenance and fingerprinting, with laws being enacted to prosecute the culprits, offenders and transgressors. This sort of fraud is termed as “crude fraud” and in many cases it involves expensive, highly moveable items such as alcoholic beverages. Another type of fraud that takes place within the food industry is known as “sophisticated fraud”, in which some food components are manipulated by either replacing a quality ingredient with inferior ones or the entire food product is subjected to dilution (e.g. addition of water to milk, brine to frozen meat, glycerol to wine, etc.). Urbanization and globalization encourage a specific trend of food supply chain to sustain the large population concentrated in urban areas. To control such a complex food supply chain in the current global economy in the presence of limited resources, creates room for transgressors to perform unethical business deals with food products. As time goes by, they come up with new ways of committing fraud, which leads to more challenges in dealing with this issue.

Towards an Ontology-Driven Blockchain Design for Supply Chain Provenance

An interesting research problem in our age of Big Data is that of determining provenance. Granular evaluation of provenance of physical goods -- e.g. tracking ingredients of a pharmaceutical or demonstrating authenticity of luxury goods -- has often not been possible with today's items that are produced and transported in complex, inter-organizational, often internationally-spanning supply chains. Recent adoption of Internet of Things and Blockchain technologies give promise at better supply chain provenance. We are particularly interested in the blockchain as many favoured use cases of blockchain are for provenance tracking. We are also interested in applying ontologies as there has been some work done on knowledge provenance, traceability, and food provenance using ontologies. In this paper, we make a case for why ontologies can contribute to blockchain design. To support this case, we analyze a traceability ontology and translate some of its representations to smart contracts that execute a provenance trace and enforce traceability constraints on the Ethereum blockchain platform.

Antecedent Factors Impacting Country of Origin (COO): An Investigation into Food Provenance in China

This paper reports a study that sought to investigate the antecedent factors influencing consumer COO perceptions. A review of the literature revealed that most previous studies consider these factors independently, however, it is now widely accepted that consumer decision making does not involve the consideration of variables one-at-a-time but rather as a small group of factors often referred to as the evoked set. This study, therefore, set out to fill a gap in the knowledge regarding the factors influencing consumer COO when considered collectively. A model of the antecedent factors impacting COO was developed from the literature and a three stage methodology involving both qualitative and quantitative techniques was then used to test the model. The findings not only confirm COO as an important factor in the decision making process of Chinese consumers when purchasing food products but go on to suggest that the role played by the antecedent factors of COO is much more complex than the existing literature might suggest. The main limitations of the study related to the work being conducted in just one country (China) and the inherent issues associated with research that is based on sampling. Despite the limitations, the paper makes an original contribution to knowledge regarding antecedent factors impacting COO and presents a number of implications for both practicing marketing managers and academic theorists.

Novel Methodologies for Food Quality and Provenance Fingerprints Assessment

Novel Methodologies for Food Quality and Provenance Fingerprints Assessment

Natural urban farming as a mean to connect community to sustainable food: the case of demonstration garden in Tor Mancina

Urban agriculture plays an important role to provide an innovative and different connection to food. Visitors, scholars, and generally participants of community gardens activities become 'food citizens', shift from being passive food consumers to becoming co-producers. To achieve this goal, the demonstration garden of Tor Mancina with the involvement of schools and of local communities tests innovative and more sustainable agricultural practices and carries out experiments to test the phytostimulant and pest repellent effects of aromatic and officinalis plants extracts used as basic substances in plant protection management. These experiments aim at inculcating positive values on food, agriculture and environment in growing youth, providing effective solutions to increase crop performance, to enhance the tolerance of plants against stressors, to safeguard the nature, biodiversity and food quality. These activities teach sustainable agriculture practices which form basis for stable livelihood and informed consumption habits. For this reason more initiatives should be in place, nationwide, aimed at encouraging the visit of the community gardens and participation in their activities, in order to learn more about the provenance of food, agricultural processes, nutrition, safety and security, biodiversity and sustainability, and develop new skills.

Genomic approaches used to investigate an atypical outbreak of Salmonella Adjame

In 2017, an outbreak of gastroenteritis in England attributed to Salmonella Adjame was detected and investigated. With the introduction of whole genome sequencing (WGS) for microbial typing, methods for comparing international outbreak data require evaluation. A case was defined as a person resident in England with a clinical sample from 1 June 2017 to 27 July 2017 from whom S. Adjame was isolated. Cases were interviewed and exposures analysed. Backward tracing of food provenance was undertaken. WGS was performed on isolates from cases and historical isolates and compared using Public Health England’s SnapperDB high-quality SNP pipeline and Enterobase’s Salmonella core genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST) scheme. In total, 14 cases were identified. The majority were vegetarian, probably of South Asian descent, with a median age of 66.5 years with no recent international travel reported. Cases consumed a range of fresh food products including herbs and spices bought from South Asian grocers. Backward tracing did not identify a common source. WGS typing showed sub-clustering and considerable genetic variation across human samples. cgMLST allele-based analysis was comparable to SNP-derived phylogenetic analysis and clusters were defined using each method. Imported herbs or spices were suspected vehicles. The cases were linked in time and place but WGS showed marked heterogeneity, atypical of a point source Salmonella outbreak. The application of incorporating SNP or allelic differences into the case definition may not always be appropriate. With further validation, cgMLST could be used for international outbreak alerts when WGS analysis is being undertaken to facilitate comparison.

Influence of Chemical and Physical Variables on 87Sr/86Sr Isotope Ratios Determination for Geographical Traceability Studies in the Oenological Food Chain

This study summarizes the results obtained from a systematic and long-term project aimed at the development of tools to assess the provenance of food in the oenological sector. 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios were measured on a representative set of soils, branches, and wines sampled from the Chianti Classico wine production area. In particular, owing to the high spatial resolution of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the topsoil, the effect of two mill techniques for soil pretreatment was investigated to verify the influence of the particle dimension on the measured isotopic ratios. Samples with particle sizes ranging from 250 to less than 50 µm were investigated, and the extraction was performed by means of the DIN 19730 procedure. For each sample, the Sr isotope ratio was determined as well. The obtained results showed that the 87Sr/86Sr ratio is not influenced by soil particle size and may represent an effective tool as a geographic provenance indicator for the investigated product.

δ13C and δ15N in organic residues of Patagonia pottery. Implications for studies of diet and subsistence strategies among late Holocene hunter-gatherers

This paper reports the results of stable isotope studies (δ13C and δ15N) performed on organic residues in archaeological potsherds recovered from diverse Patagonian environments in Argentina. The objective was to identify the types and provenance of food cooked in ceramic vessels, thus contributing to the study of paleodiets and subsistence strategies among hunter-gatherer groups in Patagonia during the late Holocene. The sample included forty-six potsherds recovered from forest (n = 21), steppe (n = 15) and Atlantic coast (n = 10) sites located in different latitudes of the continental Argentine Patagonia. Our data indicates that the type of food processed in the ceramic vessels may have depended on the availability of resources in each environment. Lower-than-expected δ13C-values likely suggest the cooking of animal fat, while δ15N-values are good indicators of the environmental origin of the cooked resources. This is a reconnaissance study that seeks a broad inter-environmental comparison in order to understand the processing and consumption of food after 1000 years BP, when pottery was adopted by Patagonian hunter-gatherer groups.

Traceability of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Interdonato lemon pulps by chemometric analysis of the mineral composition

In the last years, element content has been used as geographical tracer to determine the provenance of food. In the present work the content of 19 minerals (K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, B, Cu, Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Co, As, Se, Cd, Sb and V) and 13 lanthanide elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Lu) in Protect Geographical Indication (PGI) Interdonato lemon Messina (Italy) and non-PGI Turkish lemon pulps was evaluated by ICP-MS. The collected data were used to discriminate geographical origin of lemon samples (PGI or non-PGI) through statistical analyses. The discrimination between Italian and Turkish lemons was achieved by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and also by Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA). The results indicate that the 100% of total samples were correctly classified. The present study suggests that it is possible to relate lemons to their geographical origins, representing a necessary condition for traceability of these peculiar products. Unfortunately, Italian and Turkish lemon pulps cannot be considered “rich in” or “source of” analyzed minerals. However, these fruits can be considered safe for their low content in toxic elements.

Development of 87Sr/86Sr maps as targeted strategy to support wine quality

This study summarizes the results obtained from a systematic and long-term project aimed at the development of tools to assess the provenance of food in the oenological sector. In particular, 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios were measured on statistically representative set of soils, vine branches and wines sampled in the production district of Modena, worldwide known for the Lambrusco wines production. The obtained data were used to build strontium isotopic maps able to objectively support the Lambrusco PDO wines origin as well as other products of the Modena district.Finally, a strong relationship was found between the 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of soils and vine branches on a large scale, highlighting and confirming once more the idea that plants can also represent an optimal sampling device to support geographical traceability.

Toward an ontology‐driven blockchain design for supply‐chain provenance

SummaryAn interesting research problem in our age of Big Data is that of determining provenance. Granular evaluation of provenance of physical goods (e.g., tracking ingredients of a pharmaceutical or demonstrating authenticity of luxury goods) has often not been possible with today's items that are produced and transported in complex, interorganizational, often internationally spanning supply chains. Recent adoptions of the Internet of Things and blockchain technologies give promise at better supply‐chain provenance. We are particularly interested in the blockchain, as many favored use cases of blockchain are for provenance tracking. We are also interested in applying ontologies, as there has been some work done on knowledge provenance, traceability, and food provenance using ontologies. In this paper, we make a case for why ontologies can contribute to blockchain design. To support this case, we analyze a traceability ontology and translate some of its representations to smart contracts that execute a provenance trace and enforce traceability constraints on the Ethereum blockchain platform.

Restaurant menu re-design as a facilitator of more responsible consumer choice: An exploratory and preliminary study

Abstract Food service provision imposes significant environmental and societal impacts. The contemporary customer is getting increasingly conscious about these impacts, which is often reflected in restaurant food choice. The catering industry should foresee this trend in consumer choice and architect it so that it becomes more responsible. This study employs a qualitative method for primary data collection and analysis to explore how various environmental (provenance and carbon footprint) and health (nutritional and calorific) characteristics of food displayed on restaurant menus affect customer choice in the UK. It finds that while presenting the carbon footprint information is generally viewed positively by consumers, managerial and policy reinforcement is necessary for it to become a determinant of consumer choice. Displaying food provenance, nutritional and calorific values is considered paramount and these food attributes should become conventional menu items.