2.3 Nuclear and other analytical techniques

Step 3 – Expansion of e-commerce market through the creation of a Super E-food app.

Step 4 – Creation of dedicated social network groups/pages to sell fraudulent products to final customers.

This part of the report is dedicated to analysing the potential contribution to the fight against food fraud and food counterfeiting which can be achieved by using technologies aimed at examining the composition of the food product itself. By looking into its organic and chemical properties, these technologies are capable of telling if the food product is genuine or not.

If compared to supply chain security solutions, these technologies come into play at a different stage, when the supply chain has already been breached or when there is suspicion that a breach occurred. The result of the analysis can not only determine if the breach happened but can also provide important indications on the composition of the fraudulent product. The latter, when coupled with a series of analysis on suspect infringing goods, can help tracing back the origin of the fraud, while results can also be brought in court by forensic experts to provide evidence of who was responsible for the illegal actions.

Also, in this case, the discussion on the possible use of these technologies will be done through concrete examples that were collected by UNICRI through its call for submissions. As will be presented in the next paragraphs, there is a wide range of technologies that can be used to analyse food composition for forensic purposes. These include a stable isotope analysis and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission), RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry), Ion Microprobe and MeV- SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry with MeV ions), Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy O-PTIR (Optical-Photothermal InfraRed) spectroscopy, portable Near InfraRed (NIR) or RAMAN spectrometers.

Notwithstanding this, it is already possible to present some general interesting features which are intrinsic to these solutions, such as:

Unique result of the analysis: Geographical and environmental conditions ultimately control the elemental and isotopic makeup of a product. Nuclear techniques can determine the intrinsic isotopic and elemental fingerprints in the samples, with greater detail and accuracy than conventional methods (i.e., morphological traits, fatty acid analysis, DNA profiling, etc.).

Accountability: These techniques provide accountability through the analysis of the origin and quality of the product, which may act as a deterrent to fraudulent practices.

Detection: In the case of non-targeted methods, they are particularly useful for the detection of food adulteration because of the high number of potential adulterants that a sample can contain and because they may be adulterated with compounds not yet discovered. New adulterants that were previously unknown can be discovered simply based on an aberration of the spectrum, that is then investigated to identify what caused the aberration.

Accurate and well-established techniques: The methodology used by these techniques is highly sensitive, accurate and has been validated by a wide scientific literature. The use of the technology in other areas

provides corroboration of the usefulness and accuracy of the method. Furthermore, some methods, such as radiocarbon AMS, are bound to existing international protocols that can be applied.

Non-imitable: Isotopic signatures are very difficult to mimic. Biomarkers are compounds that have a biological specificity in the sense that they are produced only by a limited group of organisms.

Small sample handling: The sample required in order to perform the analysis is small, facilitating the process.

Multi-elemental capability: The solutions allow for multi-molecular analysis.

Non-destructive: Techniques are non-destructive, allowing the samples to be stored for new measurements if required.

Simple detection: Information of the elements present in the sample can be obtained with a limit of detection as low as a few parts per million. Sample preparation protocols demand little sample handling.

Encompassing analysis: Different kinds of materials like liquids and solids can be analysed by a single technique, thus enhancing the effectiveness and results of the analysis.

Routine applications: It is possible, in general, to make routine applications if needed.

Some possible limitations for these techniques, with some exceptions, that will be analysed later on, include:

Space: The size of a laboratory is large, therefore, in order to apply this technique, it is necessary to have considerable space to build related facilities.

Cost: The cost of the equipment is elevated (the use of a particle accelerator, usually electrostatic accelerators or cyclotrons, and ancillary equipment), which means that the initial investment is high. Other costs related to the equipment after the initial investment, such as maintenance and replacement of parts, can be significantly high.

Data dependant: The identification of different geographical origins requires the set-up of proper, solid databases. However, this limitation can transform to an advantage when the databases are created.

Time-consuming in some cases: Sample preparation can be complex and time-consuming.

Identical chemical markers: Some products have identical chemical markers, even if their origin is different. This could complicate the identification of the authentic product from a cheaper version if they both share chemical markers.

Maintenance: The results of some methods depend on the state of the instruments and their maintenance. For example, X-ray fluorescence analysis must be routinely calibrated using industry-standard reference material to maintain accuracy over repeated use cycles.

We will now use some practical examples using the submissions we received to show how the combination of all these elements can limit some of the risks highlighted by the scenarios. The use of the submissions will also allow us to appreciate the different approaches that can be followed, given the different types of technologies used.