Advances in Adulteration and Authenticity Testing of Herbs and Spices

Risk of exposure to aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, and fumonisin B1 from spices used routinely in Lebanese cooking

“…Based on several studies, the high level of turmeric consumption is normal in India (Siruguri and Bhat, 2015), while in Lebanon, business may play a role in adulterating the spice which drives the person cooking to add more of it to the dish to reach the expected taste. Adulteration could be a chemical dye that resembles turmeric's colour, or it could be a biological adulterants such as starch from cheaper sources (Sasikumar et al, 2016). These kinds of adulterations were found in spices originating from India, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica and China, and it is likely to be found in Lebanon as well.…”

Uses of FT-MIR Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis in Quality Control of Coffee, Cocoa, and Commercially Important Spices

“…In addition to their organoleptic properties (flavor, aroma, color, and pungency), spices provide health benefits to consumers due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Moreover, contrary to what was believed in ancient times, research demonstrated that spices are a rich source of proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals [ 12 ].…”

“…Conventional methods for authentication and quality control range from simple techniques such as Kjeldahl, Soxhlet, and UV/vis to more specialized ones such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), mass spectrometry (MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), proton transfer reaction (PTR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF), and DNA analysis, among others. Nevertheless, all these require prior sample preparation and detailed knowledge; besides, the procedure is slow, destructive, expensive, pollutant, and hazardous for the analyst [ 12 , 20 , 22 ]. Consequently, better alternatives should be implemented, namely infrared spectroscopy (IR) [ 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Botanical origin authentication of dietary supplements by DNA‐based approaches

“…Presently, besides their implemented use in traditional medicine, mainly in the form of herbal infusions, tinctures and decoctions, medicinal plants and products thereof are being increasingly used as ingredients in formulations sold as herbal dietary supplements or plant food supplements (Lu et al., 2018). Over the last decade, the consumption of dietary supplements has been showing a fast growth, with several factors contributing for the increasing popularity of this type of products, namely a growing interest of consumers by a healthy life style and diet, the potential contribution of dietary supplements for health maintenance/improvement, an increased interest in self‐health care, an increased mistrust in conventional medicine and pharmaceuticals, high costs with conventional health care and general belief that natural means safe and healthy, among others (Egan, Hodgkins, Shepherd, Timotijevic, & Raats, 2011; El‐Ahmady & Ashour, 2016; Sasikumar, Swetha, Parvathy, & Sheeja, 2016; WHO 2013). Dietary supplements are legally considered as foods, both in the United States and in the European Union (EU) under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act and Directive 2002/46/EC (2002), respectively.…”