Lab Manager | Run Your Lab Like a Business

News

The Science of Spotting Fake Foods (Video)

Food authentication helps ensure that our cheese, olive oil, and other foods are the real deal, and that they don't contain unwanted adulterants

by American Chemical Society
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
5:00

 

Get training in Lab Quality and earn CEUs.One of over 25 IACET-accredited courses in the Academy.
Lab Quality Course

There's not much that can top a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs—except, of course, for what belongs on top: parmesan cheese. But, it turns out, what we're eating might not be parmesan at all—the Food and Drug Administration recently found that several sellers in the U.S. were filling their batches with lower-cost cheeses or even cellulose, also known as wood pulp. Food authentication helps ensure that our cheese, olive oil, and other foods are the real deal, and that they don't contain unwanted adulterants. To do so, scientists employ a variety of analytical techniques to identify chemical signs of legitimate food. Learn about the science of spotting fake foods here: https://youtu.be/V_JIjJJ8Zq0.

Subscribe to the series at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions, and follow us on Twitter @ACSreactions to be the first to see our latest videos.