Validation of analytical methods for the detection of beeswax adulteration with a focus on paraffin

[en] Beeswax adulteration in the apiculture sector represents a growing problem worldwide due to the lack of clearly defined purity criteria, the absence of official quality (authenticity) controls, and the inconsistency of the analytical methods used for adulteration detection. Although beeswax authentication is implemented in other regulatory sectors (pharmaceutical and food industry), the classical physico-chemical analytical methods used for determination of beeswax purity exhibit inconsistencies for the detection of adulterants. In this study, an inventory was made on a comprehensive set of analytical methods and the corresponding purity criteria used for the detection of the most common beeswax adulterants (paraffin, stearin and/or stearic acid) from existing legislations and scientific literature. The selected analytical methods (classical physico-chemical, and advanced instrumental, i.e. chromatographic and spectroscopic analytical techniques) were weighted by three independent experts against two criteria: feasibility and analytical performance in detecting targeted adulterants. Classical methods for which measurement data were available (melting point and acid/saponification/ester values for paraffin-adulterated vs. non-adulterated beeswax samples) were retained and further validated by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. These methods were also validated by generating the corresponding calibration curves for paraffin detection using paraffin-beeswax mixtures containing different proportions of paraffin (ranging from 5 to 95%, w/w). The results of the ROC analysis revealed that a tentative detection of paraffin in beeswax can be achieved by a combination of at least two physico-chemical methods. However, for a reliable detection of the most common adulterants in beeswax, physico-chemical methods should be complemented with advanced analytical tools. i.e. GC-MS, HTGC-FID (MS) and/or FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, depending on the expected adulterant. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Disciplines :

Veterinary medicine & animal health

Author, co-author :

Svečnjak, L.; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Svetošimunska cesta 25, Zagreb, 10 000, Croatia

Nunes, F. M.; CQ-Chemistry Research Centre, Chemistry Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal

Matas, R. G.; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Via Carlo Magno 1A, Parma, 43126, Italy

Cravedi, J.-P.; UMR1331 Toxalim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology) INRAE, ENVT, INP-Purpan, UPS, Toulouse, France

Christodoulidou, A.; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Via Carlo Magno 1A, Parma, 43126, Italy

Rortais, A.; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Via Carlo Magno 1A, Parma, 43126, Italy

Saegerman, Claude ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI) > Epidémiologie et analyse des risques appl. aux sc. vétér.

Language :

English

Title :

Validation of analytical methods for the detection of beeswax adulteration with a focus on paraffin

Publication date :

2021

Journal title :

Food Control

ISSN :

0956-7135

eISSN :

1873-7129

Publisher :

Elsevier Ltd

Volume :

120

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 29 November 2021

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