Rapid and Accessible Mass Detection Tools for the Identification of Substitution Fraud in Dried Herbs

Importance of the Topic

Economically motivated adulteration in dried herbs poses a risk to supply chain integrity and consumer trust. Substitution fraud blends low value leaves with premium spices such as oregano and can evade traditional spectroscopic quality control. Direct mass spectrometry offers selective chemical detection with minimal sample preparation and rapid results. The RADIAN ASAP system with embedded chemometric software provides a streamlined approach to untargeted screening and authentic product verification.

Objectives and Study Overview

This study aimed to evaluate the capability of a fit for purpose mass detection platform to identify substitution fraud in oregano. Specific goals included model development using authentic and adulterant samples, assessment of classification performance across instruments, and determination of detection limits for common adulterant leaf materials.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Sample Preparation Workflow

1. Extract herb material in methanol at 20 milligrams per milliliter
2. Clean ionization capillary to ensure baseline stability
3. Load extract onto the capillary for analysis
4. Insert capillary into the RADIAN ASAP ion source to initiate data acquisition

Instrumentation Used

• RADIAN ASAP ionization module operating in direct analysis mode
• LiveID 2.0 software for multivariate model development and real time classification
• Mass spectrometer settings included a corona pin current of three microamp, desolvation gas temperature at 450 degrees Celsius, full scan acquisition from one hundred to one thousand daltons at two scans per second
• Chemometric parameters incorporated a principal component analysis and linear discriminant algorithm with three principal components and one discriminant function, feature threshold at fifty percent, and an outlier cutoff based on three standard deviation distance within a three hundred to seven hundred fifty dalton mass range

Main Results and Discussion

A chemometric model was trained on thirty five authentic oregano and eighteen olive leaf samples, each with two technical replicates, to yield robust spectral profiles. Validation using a random subset of seven oregano and two olive leaf samples across four instruments achieved one hundred percent classification accuracy with full confidence scores. Additional testing on nonmodel herbs such as marjoram, thyme, cistus and mint resulted in correct outlier designations, indicating clear chemical differentiation. Mixtures containing ten percent and thirty percent olive leaf adulterant in oregano were reliably detected above the screening decision limit.

Advantages and Practical Applications

• Rapid untargeted screening without the need for prior biomarker selection
• Minimal sample preparation and user friendly operation suitable for nonexpert personnel
• High selectivity and sensitivity for subtle adulteration levels in complex plant matrices
• Scalable workflows adaptable to quality control laboratories in food and botanical industries

Future Trends and Opportunities

Development of expanded libraries for diverse herb and spice matrices could further enhance fraud screening capabilities. Integration with routine quality assurance and quality control protocols and remote cloud based analytics may support real time supply chain monitoring. Advances in chemometric approaches will improve resolution of multi author adulteration scenarios and low level adulterants detection.

Conclusion

The RADIAN ASAP platform combined with LiveID chemometric software provides an effective and accessible solution for detecting substitution fraud in dried herbs. High classification accuracy, outlier detection and rapid throughput demonstrate its potential as a frontline tool in quality assurance of culinary and botanical products.