Application of quantum cascade laser to rapid detection of food adulteration

Human health is seriously endangered by economically motivated adulterations of food stuffs, in general, and fruit juices, in particular. Additional advances are needed in trustworthy techniques for the fast recognition of fraudulent ingredients in the supply chain. After more than a decade of application of laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) to food fraud detection with CO₂ lasers, the Diagnostic and Metrology Laboratory of ENEA realized a portable and easy system based on a quantum cascade laser (QCL). Juice adulteration was used as a case study to evaluate its performances. Chemometrics tools demonstrated that the instrument was able to sense in a few minutes two adulterated juices.