| Abstract: |
Mass spectrometry, a molecular identification method commonly used in healthcare, drug testing and food safety, has now proven its capacity for identifying foreign material in meat products. Meat fraud has frequently been the subject of news headlines in recent years: incorrect labelling of products and failing to declare other biological material in meat products has led to public exposés and growing distrust from consumers. Many fraudulent practices are difficult to detect, and current quality measurement methods cannot cope with sophisticated, modern-day tampering. Not only does adulteration of meat damage the reputation of the meat industry and put to waste the hard work of producers, but it also results in “significant economic problems”. This month (November 2018), researchers from the University of Chemistry and Technology, Czech Republic, and the Institute for Global Food Security, Northern Ireland, have published their latest research detailing how ambient mass spectrometry can now “quickly and reliably screen for adulterated meat”. |
