Analytical strategies for the early quality and safety assurance in the global feed chain

• Published in: TrAC, Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.) Vol. 76; pp. 203 - 215
• Main Authors: de Jong, Jacob, López, Patricia, Mol, Hans, Baeten, Vincent, Fernández Pierna, Juan Antonio, Vermeulen, Philippe, Vincent, Ursula, Boix, Ana, von Holst, Christoph, Tomaniova, Monika, Hajslova, Jana, Yang, Zengling, Han, Lujia, MacDonald, Susan, Haughey, Simon A., Elliott, Christopher T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-02-2016
• Subjects: Contamination; Early quality and safety assurance; Feed chain; Fraudulent adulteration; Mineral oil; MS-based methods; Nitrogen adulterants; Soybean meal; Spectroscopy; Transformer oil; Spectroscopy; Early quality and safety assurance; Feed chain; Fraudulent adulteration; Nitrogen adulterants; Mineral oil; MS-based methods; Transformer oil; Contamination; Soybean meal
• ISSN: 0165-9936; 1879-3142
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2015.11.003

•For screening, spectroscopic methods (NIRS and Raman) are the methods of choice.•NIRS and Raman can be applied on-site and on-line at the feed mill or port of entry.•Post-screening and confirmation should be performed with MS-based methods.•All techniques have the potential to be applied in non-targeted approaches.
In the past decade, several major food safety crises originated from problems with feed. Consequently, there is an urgent need for early detection of fraudulent adulteration and contamination in the feed chain. Strategies are presented for two specific cases, viz. adulterations of (i) soybean meal with melamine and other types of adulterants/contaminants and (ii) vegetable oils with mineral oil, transformer oil or other oils. These strategies comprise screening at the feed mill or port of entry with non-destructive spectroscopic methods (NIRS and Raman), followed by post-screening and confirmation in the laboratory with MS-based methods. The spectroscopic techniques are suitable for on-site and on-line applications. Currently they are suited to detect fraudulent adulteration at relatively high levels but not to detect low level contamination. The potential use of the strategies for non-targeted analysis is demonstrated.