Bia Analytical is a spin-out of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast and launched in April last year, following successful seed funding at the start of 2020. However, like many other businesses, we faced a range of challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the analogy of fledgling birds leaving the nest, we certainly would have preferred the comfort and security of hanging on in there that little bit longer, yet, despite the conditions, we are now celebrating one year since returning to our lab. The team has now completed work on building 10 new authenticity tests for black pepper, turmeric, sage, paprika, oregano, garlic, cumin, ginger, white pepper and coriander.
A day in the lab
A typical day at Bia Analytical, for me, includes running samples both for method building and for authenticity testing of customer samples. As a young company, in order to thrive we need to increase our testing portfolio. Therefore, a large part of my time is spent on the research and development of new products to help meet the needs of the herbs and spice industry as this is our first target market segment – others will follow.
We are a small team that works collaboratively to face the daily challenges of a new business; this includes taking part in daily brainstorming sessions to address any issues in data analysis, deciding on our next product developments and discussing potential adulterants to consider for developing our tests and ways of obtaining them. It is very much an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, which helps us achieve our goals and push the business forward proactively.
A vital part of my job involves working closely with herb and spice companies to source the necessary materials to develop our methods, and these relationships are very important to us. Much of my time is spent analysing hundreds of known authentic samples (and also many of their known potential adulterants) from around the world and building chemometric models. I then validate the models by testing known authentic samples and adulterated samples, many of which we spike with known adulterants, typically starting from 10 percent as our test is aimed at economically motivated adulteration (EMA). The validation process allows us to assess the robustness of the models we build and only the best make it into our product portfolio.
Authenticity results at Bia Analytical
As a company, we provide an authenticity testing service, and this proof of authenticity often forms part of a customer’s positive release testing or indeed their customer’s product specifications. Our clients require fast results, therefore we always run their samples as a priority and have a guaranteed three working day turnaround time in place to ensure businesses make decisions and maintain confidence in their products.
Bia Analytical’s tests are untargeted and compare samples with what ‘normal’ authentic looks like
When I test customer samples, I always include positive and negative controls. This ensures that I know the analysis is working correctly. We also participate in proficiency testing schemes, which allows us to benchmark ourselves against others in the industry and make sure our methods are fit for purpose. We are proud of our proficiency testing record and are happy to share our results far and wide.
We always supply our customers with a certificate of analysis, providing a clear authenticity result. An ‘Authentic’ result indicates that the sample submitted for testing fits within the cluster of authentic material in our model. This means that there is nothing that causes it to deviate from the hundreds of authentic samples we have tested it against. A ‘Non-Compliant’ result indicates that a sample does not match the authentic herb or spice cluster in our model.
Our tests are untargeted, which means we are not looking to detect individual adulterant materials as this would be a lengthy and very expensive process. To give an example, if you used a test to detect lead chromate to determine authenticity of turmeric, you would get an authentic result if lead chromate was absent, even if the sample contained spent material or flour. You would have to run extensive tests for all potential adulterants just to make sure. Standard DNA tests will not tell you if spent material is present (the exact same DNA as authentic turmeric) or indeed if highly processed flour is present (DNA is degraded too far). This is a key differentiator in that we are comparing the sample with what ‘normal’ authentic looks like.
With a non-compliant result, we aim to give customers an indicative result suggesting what the potential adulterant could be, although this is not always possible because the adulterant may not be in the model. The important outcome is identifying that the sample is clearly different from ‘normal’. This gives customers the opportunity to follow up and dig deeper and, should they wish, we may be able to assist with that or recommend associates who can.
Our oregano and sage methods hold ISO17025 accreditation, and we are currently working towards obtaining accreditation to cover all our lab-based methods. In the meantime, we apply the exact same rigour and processes in these non-accredited methods. Our models are kept ‘live’, which means that as new seasons come and new adulterants are identified, I will update my methods to make sure ‘normal’ remains normal.
I use spectroscopy and chemometric modelling in all my methods. Spectroscopy is used to monitor the sample’s interaction with a certain type of light, allowing us to gather sample data or fingerprints; chemometrics are used to generate authenticity models and compare unknown sample data to a model. Used together, they can be a powerful tool in the fight against food fraud. You may say I am biased, but I believe our tests are the way forward for authenticity testing in the herbs and spices sector and beyond.
We are continuously expanding the product portfolio within herbs and spices but are also now looking to the next set of food commodities such as rice. I would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions. Our tests will always be better if we work with industry to make sure we are addressing its needs.
Bia Analytical offers so much more than service testing, but for now that remains ‘secret squirrel stuff’ and you will have to wait a while longer to learn more.
We are still very much at the beginning of our journey, but we are well on our way to achieving our mission to be the future of food quality, authenticity and safety analysis. We are very excited about where this journey will lead us.
About the author
Dr Maeve Shannon has studied and worked in the area of food science since 2009. From 2018 to 2020, she worked specifically in the area of food fraud in the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). She has expertise in the use of FT-IR and NIR (benchtop and portable) to detect adulteration of herbs, spices and rice. Maeve has in-depth knowledge and experience of developing chemometric models. During her time at QUB, she contributed to the administrative and technical planning for the successful implementation of ISO Accreditation for the screening of commercial sage and oregano samples. In July 2020, Maeve moved from the food fraud team in QUB to work as a Research Scientist for Bia Analytical. A large part of Maeve’s role is to develop and validate models for the detection of fraud in a range of food commodities.
