Dirty food detection device

Thanks to specialized equipment, laboratories in the UK can detect milk containing formaldehyde or rice with high levels of arsenic.

A technician examines one of the food samples before conducting analysis. Photo: Chris Baraniuk.

The global food retail market is currently worth $4 trillion and is growing rapidly. Some forecasts suggest it will be worth more than $8 trillion by 2020. Due to its size, the food supply chain is becoming increasingly complex, and criminal organizations are stealing billions of dollars by mixing cheap and dangerous chemicals into food during production, endangering the health of consumers.

According to BBC, a group of experts at the Global Food Safety Institute at Queen's University in Belfast, UK, led by Professor Chris Elliott, is researching new technologies to detect fraud in food production.

The lab is filled not only with expensive equipment, but also with measuring instruments and small containers. Photo: Chris Baraniuk.

To carry out the analysis, the center's laboratory is equipped with a variety of specialized equipment capable of detecting toxins and chemicals in food. For example, to test oregano samples, they use a handheld machine to conduct spectroscopy analysis.

"The method is quite simple. We shine a light on the food. The energy from the light then makes the food molecules vibrate and we get a pattern of vibrations. Each molecule vibrates in a slightly different way, so by measuring all the vibrations you get a pattern of them. It's very accurate," said Professor Elliott. The team hopes that in the future the tool could be used by food inspectors to check food on the spot.

Using the smoke analysis, the team was able to differentiate between fish species. Photo: Chris Baraniuk.

Other tests are used to determine whether food contains toxins. For example, biosensors containing antibodies are used. Proteins in the animal's immune system bind to certain pathogens or toxins to neutralize them. If binding occurs to one of the antibodies, it means that a toxin is present in the food.

Almost all foods have the potential to be contaminated with toxic chemicals. Industrial dyes are sometimes added to spices to make them look more appealing.

“A common way to cheat is to add preservatives to milk to prevent it from spoiling during transport. One of the preservatives that is often added is formaldehyde,” said Professor Elliott. “Formalin is a poison that can be deadly.”

Laboratory testing equipment reveals what's hidden in food. Photo: Chris Baraniuk.

Even if manufacturers don’t intentionally mix toxins into their products, there’s still a chance that food could contain toxins. Depending on where and how rice is grown, it can contain high levels of arsenic, a heavy metal that increases the risk of cancer.

One technique used to detect heavy metals such as lead or cadmium is X-ray fluorescence imaging. When X-rays hit a sample, they cause electrons to be stripped from atoms. At the same time, energetic photons are released. By measuring the photon energy, experts can determine what elements are present in the sample.

The Global Food Safety Institute's laboratories not only analyze hazardous substances and compounds in food, but also determine whether packaged products actually match what is advertised on the packaging.

One tool that helps identify product types, such as different types of fish, is the "i-knife," developed by Zoltan Takats, a surgeon at Imperial College, London, UK.

The knife is equipped with a laser that vaporizes the molecules. The smoke is then sucked into a spectrometer for analysis. Electrons fired into the smoke break apart the molecules, allowing a computer to sort the atoms based on their electrostatic charge. With just a few slices, Professor Elliott’s team can get a smoke analysis of each sample and pinpoint the differences between fish species.

According to VNE