Dec 6th, 2021
3 mins
The European Commission have released the findings of the first coordinated control plan on the authenticity of herbs and spices in the EU market. The most susceptible, with 48% of samples being adulterated was oregano and it was found that olive leaves were the most common adulterant.
Other spices included in the coordinated control were cumin, turmeric, paprika/chilli, pepper and saffron as these have previously been reported to be the subject of adulteration.
Over 10,000 assays were performed on 1,885 samples using a variety of cutting-edge analytical methods. The proportion of samples suspected of adulteration was 48% for oregano, 17% for pepper, 14% for cumin, 11% for turmeric, 11% for saffron and 6% for paprika/chilli. The bulk of questionable samples included unidentified plant material and in 2% of the spice samples that were analysed, unapproved colorants were also discovered along with copper compounds exceeding the applicable maximum residue level defined by Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 were identified in 2 cumin, 45 oregano, and 4 pepper samples.
Fraudulent manipulation can occur at any stage of the supply chain, at manufacturing, transportation, processing etc until the product reaches the market. The overall rate of questionable samples was 17% (323 samples out of a total of 1885), which is lower than previously published in the scholarly literature or by national food control agencies.
