What is Metabolomics?

Case 2: Raw Material Sourcing—Tracing And Tracking

A culture of year-round availability has arisen in the Western world where previously seasonal products are continuously offered in our supermarkets. This internationalization of the food industry entails a major global logistical challenge to source materials from areas of the world with complementary seasons to our own. Raw materials are transported all over the world and blends from different sources are often made to maintain uniform quality expectations and manage price fluctuations. Quality control for food buyers is important and aspects of authentication grow in importance—especially in relation to industry and consumer demands for guarantees of sustainable production.

Tools are needed to ascertain if the product value meets required specifications and if the reported source is indeed correct. Metabolomics can provide a rapid analysis tool suited for aspects of source authentication. Suppliers and supermarkets must be able to confirm that their Blue Mountain coffee is exactly that and their wines do have guaranteed countries of origin—especially for the more exclusive, higher-priced products. We need source-specific biomarkers. Metabolomics now has the potential to identify such authentication biomarkers for tracing and tracking applications in the food industry.

Continued Tomorrow

http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/32614

http://www.depsyl.com/

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/