- Abstract:
- Food authenticity and prevention of fraudulent labeling in eggs and poultry are critical for UK domestic and international markets. This project built on FA0130 to develop analytical tools for verifying age, production, and geographical origin of eggs and poultry, supporting enforcement of mandatory origin labeling (since Dec 2014) and recommendations from the Elliott review. Stable isotope ratio analysis (HCNS and ²H/¹H) linked samples to environmental and feed sources, enabling geographical verification without full reference databases. Egg age was investigated using targeted ¹H-NMR, LC-HRMS, and lactate assays; LC-HRMS amino acid profiling showed promise, with proline, isoleucine, glutamic acid, threonine, and tyrosine increasing at higher storage temperatures, and glutamine as a cold-storage marker. Egg production methods were assessed via EA-IRMS, non-targeted ¹H-NMR, and yolk carotenoid profiling; carotenoids effectively detected synthetic additives and noncompliance with the Lion Code. Novel CO?-equilibration IRMS allowed egg/water origin verification, while a statistical chicken model using feed and water isotopes detected farm-level substitution without extensive databases. Future work includes retail validation, amino acid profiling refinement, carotenoid-based screening, and novel carbon isotope methods to monitor egg shelf life.
- PubYear:
- 2019
- Keywords:
- Food authenticity, Egg and poultry verification, Fraud detection / mislabeling, Stable isotope ratio analysis (HCNS, ²H/¹H), Egg age / freshness, amino acid profiling, Carotenoid profiling (yolk), Geographical origin verification, Lion Code compliance
- FundingBody:
- Defra, UK
- Contractor:
- Fera Science Ltd
- ProjCode:
- FA0159
- Associated:
- Type:
- Research: Laboratory Based
- OpenAccess:
- Yes
- URL:
- https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=19632
- Comments: