With an increasingly globalized market, rapid and sensitive detection of authentication and adulteration of foods and food products is essential for protecting consumers. Recently, priority has been placed on developing screening methods that employ portable, rapid, high-throughput instrumentation with a goal of preventing illnesses and adverse effects from either intentional or unintentional contamination. These portable devices could allow for sample analysis and triage outside traditional laboratory settings by both regulators and manufacturers in order to improve the food safety of consumer products. While portable devices are more established in the pharmaceutical arena, their use in the evaluation of foods and dietary supplements is increasing. This symposium brings together representatives from government, industry, and academia to showcase the most recent advances in high priority food commodities with both established and emerging portable technologies. Specific presentations focus on milk powders (e.g., melamine/nitrogen contamination), food supplements (e.g., heavy metals and safety concerns), meat (e.g., species substitution and risk of disease), and olive oil (e.g., substandard oils and potential allergenicity) and using near infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence detection, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Presentations