Detection and Quantification of Tomato Paste Adulteration Using Conventional and Rapid Analytical Methods

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Tomato paste is a vital food ingredient with significant industrial and culinary value.
• Food adulteration in tomato products poses economic risks and potential health concerns.
• Advanced analytical methods are needed for sensitive quality control of tomato paste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detect and quantify low concentrations (0.5-10%) of adulterants in tomato paste.
• To compare the efficacy of conventional methods with Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and electronic tongue (e-tongue).
• To assess the suitability of NIR spectroscopy and e-tongue for routine quality control.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of tomato paste adulterated with paprika seed, corn starch, sucrose, and salt at varying concentrations.
• Application of conventional methods: soluble solid content and consistency.
• Utilization of advanced techniques: NIR spectroscopy and e-tongue, with multivariate analysis (PCA, LDA, PLSR).

Main Results:

• Conventional methods could only detect adulteration at higher concentrations (5-10%).
• NIR spectroscopy and e-tongue achieved high accuracy in detecting minimal adulterant levels (0.5%).
• NIR spectroscopy demonstrated superior ease of implementation and accuracy, with R² > 0.96 and RMSE < 1% for adulterant estimation.

Conclusions:

• Near-Infrared spectroscopy and e-tongue are highly effective for detecting low-level adulteration in tomato paste.
• NIR spectroscopy is a practical and accurate tool for quality control in the food industry.
• Advanced spectroscopic and sensor techniques offer significant advantages over conventional methods for food authenticity analysis.