Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 01 | JANUARY 2016
The Incidence of Fraud Cases
on Basmati Rice and Cocoa Powder
Miroslav Šuška, QUALIFOOD s.r.o.
Basmati Rice
Basmati is a long grain variety of rice
grown in India and Pakistan with a
distinct aroma when cooked. Due to
its high value in the market, Basmati rice is often subjected to adulteration and replacement. Based on
the US Pharmacopeial Convention
Food Fraud Database, the most common type of fraud committed for
Basmati rice is replacement. Basmati rice is commonly replaced by rice
of non-authentic botanical origin
comprising almost 90% of fraud cases.
Basmati rice fraud was first reported
in 2000, however, up until 2014, fake
or adulterated packs were reportedly
seized. In the US and Canada, around
30% of Basmati rice sold is adulterated. Whereas, in the UK, half of the
rice sold in the market as Basmati is
actually of a different variety of longgrained rice. Brown Basmati does not
have import tax, so some importers
would declare other variety as such.
Rice blending is actually allowed but
non-Basmati content should be no
higher than 7%.
Based on Food Standards Agency’s
methodology, DNA testing serves
as the best way to determine fake
Basmati rice. DNA techniques to
profile rice started in 2009 and now
became an essential part in ensuring the purity of Basmati rice. For
instance, rice suppliers Amira and
Tilda, make is a point to subject their
products to DNA testing before releasing it to the market. Testing is
actually voluntary, but it helps establish consumer trust for Basmati rice
products.
Cocoa Powder
There were recorded cases of cocoa
powder adulteration as early as the
18th century. However, the addition
of starches to cocoa powder were
mainly due to the undeveloped way
of processing chocolate. Starches
were added to absorb the excess cocoa butter in the powder.
Nowadays, the high cost of raw materials, particularly in making chocolates, prompted the illegal replacement of cocoa powder with cheaper
ingredients.
According to the FoodFraud.org website, cocoa powder is often substituted with cheaper ingredients such
as arrowroot, grain flours, chicory
powder, cocoa husks, carob powder,
chestnut shell, peanut shell, sesame
meal, soybean flour, soybean meal
and many other non-authentic material.
Several tests led to the detection of
food fraud in cocoa powder, namely, single NIR measurement, protein
determination, and PCR detection of
exogenous vegetative components in
cocoa powder.
Food fraud poses as a threat to food
safety. The food industry must address the growing incidence of adulteration and replacement of food.
If this goes on, it will not only be a
danger to public safety, it would also
be a cause for consumers to lose
their trust and confidence to the food
manufacturing industry in general.
On top of that, food integrity is also
compromised because supply chain control shifts to the hands of the
criminals and away from the proper
food authorities.
Source:
US Pharmacopeial Convention Food
Fraud Database (www.foodfraud.
org)
Food Standards Agency (www.foodgov.uk).
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