Consumer?s awareness of food fraud is constantly increasing for instance through reports on the Opson VI operation of Europol and Interpol. However, far less known is the adulteration of additives, e.g. flavours.
Extraction of flavours from a natural source is often very complex and thus expensive (e.g. vanillin from bourbon vanilla pods). In comparison with that production of artificial vanillin in the lab is far cheaper. Differentiation between natural and artificially synthesised flavours can only be done, if at all, by specialised laboratories. Existing methods commonly used to detect food fraud are usually based on the analysis of stable isotopes like 12C/13C (C=carbon).
The ?Global Center of Excellence for Food Fraud? of the Tentamus Group checks feasibility to use radioactive decay of the isotope 14Carbon to distinguish natural flavours from artificially produced ones. The Center does not spare cost and effort to achieve that goal and combines latest technology with different analytical methods to analyse radioactivity in complex mixtures such as food.
Tentamus Group GmbH was founded in 2011. Tentamus is a global product and safety group with a core presence in Europe, UK, Israel, China and the USA. Accredited and licensed Tentamus Group tests, audits and consults on all products involving the human body (food & feed, pharmaceuticals & medical, agrochemicals, cosmetics, agriculture & environment and nutraceutical & supplements). Tentamus Group is represented in over 30 locations worldwide. More than 1,600 highly-trained staff members work in over 1 million square feet of laboratory and office spaces. For further information please visit www.tentamus.com.
Tentamus Group
An der Industriebahn 5
13088 Berlin, Germany
www.tentamus.com