Food forensics

The food market nowadays accounts for huge incomes and therefore it is an easy target for falsification. This recalls the urgency for reliable and powerful diagnostic techniques, in order to develop analytical protocols for identification of frauds. MS-based strategies of analysis are definitely suitable for this task and have become in the last years of paramount importance in the field of food forensics. Sophisticated techniques have been developed that request short times of analysis and allow the identification of specific parameters, useful as classification markers. The wide range of techniques available [i.e. isotopic analysis, inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), hyphenated systems, stand-alone systems] allow to address a wide range of analytical questions pertaining to food authentication and traceability.