Verification of Dairy Product Counterfeiting Using GC-FID Technique
Why Are Dairy Products Counterfeited?
Dairy products are subjected to various forms of counterfeiting. The most common practice involves replacing milk fat (one of the most expensive fats on the market) with cheaper fats for economic reasons. Counterfeiting cheese with exogenous fats alters the appearance and quality of the product while reducing its nutritional value and content of vitamins and minerals. One popular dairy product in the Balkan region, sheep cheese, is famous for its digestibility, high vitamin, protein, calcium, and magnesium content, as well as its distinctive flavor. Counterfeiting sheep cheese has become common due to seasonal fluctuations in the availability and price of sheep's milk.
Image 1. Sheep cheese
Consequences of Dairy Product Counterfeiting
Cheese made from vegetable fats will appear whiter than that made exclusively from milk, and the addition of vegetable fats will alter the product's fatty acid profile. Numerous studies have been conducted on the substitutes used in dairy product production, with palm oil being more commonly used than other vegetable and animal oils and fats. This significantly contributes to various inflammatory conditions, insulin resistance, and obesity.
Legal Regulations
According to European regulations, partial or complete replacement of milk or dairy proteins with ingredients from other sources is not allowed, and there are various laws regarding the labeling and authenticity of food products. Today, food safety, preservation of indigenous products, and prevention of consumer fraud through misleading product information are more important than ever.
Sample Control Offers Product Authenticity Verification
Sample Control provides product authenticity verification for items such as sheep cheese by combining accredited methods for analyzing fatty acid profiles and cholesterol content using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID).
Each chromatogram is meticulously examined and compared with the latest research to confirm authenticity and eliminate suspicion of palm oil counterfeiting. This commitment makes Sample Control a leading laboratory in the region for analytical testing.
Image 2. Chromatographic Representation of Saturated Fatty Acids in Sheep Cheese, Highlighting Key Fatty Acids Essential for Detecting Palm Oil Counterfeiting
Determination of total dietary fiber
In the last few decades, scientists have been paying more and more attention to researching the beneficial effect of dietary fiber on the human body. Due to its complex nature, it is not easy to define dietary fiber.
Pesticides Presence in the Environment
Pesticides are products used to control pests on plants and animals. They include chemical or biological agents used in agriculture, forestry, and non-agricultural public areas to manage and suppress plant pathogens and diseases, insects, nematodes, mites, harmful rodents, weeds, and other pests. P