Food fraud is a criminal intent motivated by economic gain to adulterate or misrepresent food ingredients and packaging. The development of a reliable food supply system is at great risk under globalization, but Food Business Operators (FBOs) have a legal obligation to implement and maintain food traceability and quality at all stages of food production, processing, and distribution. Incidents of food fraud have a strong negative impact on consumer confidence in the food industry. Therefore, local and international regulatory mechanisms are established to prevent or mitigate food fraud. This review brings new perspectives linking EU and US legislation, as well as new definitions and descriptions of the criminal aspect of food fraud incidents. It also describes certain new insights into the application of state-of-the-art methods and techniques that provide valuable tools for geographic, botanical, or other chemical markers of food authenticity. The review also provides an overview of the most common cases of food fraud worldwide from 2010 to 2020. Further research is needed to support the development of predictive models for innovative approaches to adulteration, especially when some valuable nutrients are replaced by toxic ingredients. A possible solution to minimize food fraud incidents is to increase the level of risk-based inspections, establish more productive monitoring and implementation of food protection systems in the supply chain, and implement better ingredient control and certification. National and international (e.g., regional) police offices for food fraud should be introduced, possessing knowledge and skills in food, food safety, food processing, and food products, as initial positive results have emerged in some countries.

The phenolic glycoside arbutin and its metabolite with uroantiseptic activity hydroquinone occur naturally in the leaves of various medicinal plants and spices. In this study, an extraction procedure coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed to determine arbutin and hydroquinone content in strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae) leaves. The method showed good linearity (R2>0.9987) in the tested concentration range (0.5-200 μg mL(-1)), as well as good precision (RSD<5%), analytical recovery (96.2-98.0%), and sensitivity (limit of detection=0.009 and 0.004 μg mL(-1) for arbutin and hydroquinone, respectively). The results obtained by the validated GC-MS method corresponded well to those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The proposed method was then applied for determining arbutin and hydroquinone content in methanolic leaf extracts. The amount of arbutin in the leaves collected on the island of Koločep (6.82 mg g(-1) dry weight) was found to be higher (tpaired=43.57, tc=2.92) in comparison to the amount of arbutin in the leaves collected on the island of Mali Lošinj (2.75 mg g(-1) dry weight). Hydroquinone was not detected in any of the samples. The analytical features of the proposed GC-MS method demonstrated that arbutin and hydroquinone could be determined alternatively by gas chromatography. Due to its wide concentration range, the method could also be suitable for arbutin and hydroquinone analysis in leaves of other plant families (Rosaceae, Lamiaceae, etc.).

The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) is a Mediterranean plant known for the traditional use of its fruits and leaves due to their health benefits. Thus, it has been used for years in folk medicine to relieve various health conditions such as urological and kidney problems, dermatological, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. The fruits are traditionally used for making jams, jellies, and strong alcoholic beverages, while the leaves are mostly used for preparing tea. Since the leaves were more researched, previous results indicated that they have important biological effects, so further research should focus on the fruits. Due to its chemical composition, rich polyphenolic profile and the biological potential derived from it, the plant has great prospects for the production of functional foods and nutraceuticals. However, the plant’s potential is underutilized in terms of processing. Therefore, this review summarizes the properties and the potential of the fruits and leaves of A. unedo and their possible benefits for processing with respect to agricultural, nutritive, biological and economic values.

Terrorist attacks on critical infrastructures can cause problems to a national stability and functioning. Food and water supply chains are some of the most important infrastructures, and it is the country’s (government’s) obligation to provide sufficient quantities of food and water to its population. Intentional food contamination can, among other motives, originate from an act of terrorism (with political or ideological motives) with the aim of causing fear (terror) among people. Food defence systems can help assess vulnerabilities, determine mitigation strategies for terrorist attack, estimate risks, and prevent a terrorist attack. Risk assessment and prevention also include control over the production and distribution of potential chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) agents or their related materials. When a terrorist attack occurs, rapid and organised response is essential in terms of determining the type of agent used, managing the diseased, ensuring the functioning of the food and water supply, and the recovery of the infrastructure system under attack. Food defence planning as part of a food counterterrorism strategy should include considerations regarding the global food market and the fact that ingredients are supplied from all over the world (vendor certificates). Preventing terrorist attacks on sources of food and water is a far better option than crisis management once an attack had already been committed, but governments should have a response to any scenario.

The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae family) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, diuretic, and antiproliferative properties. The health benefits are mainly attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to compare the phenolic profiles, total phenolic content (TPC), and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of A. unedo leaves and fruits collected at two locations in Croatia. Phenolic profiles were identified using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (UHPLC) coupled with a hybrid mass spectrometer (LTQ Orbitrap MS). TPC was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu’s assay, while RSA was investigated using DPPH reagent. A total of 64 phenolics (60 and 42 compounds in leaves and fruits, respectively) were identified. Hyperoside and flavan-3-ols were predominant compounds in leaves, while gallocatechin and catechin were the major compounds found in fruits. To the authors’ knowledge, 16 and 5 phenolics in leaves and fruits, respectively, were reported for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS could be used to identify which phenolics were able to discriminate samples regarding plant tissue and geographical origin. TPC in leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 67.07–104.74 and 16.78–25.86 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dried weight (dw), respectively. RSA for leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 408.92–430.98 and 74.30–104.04 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g dw, respectively. The number of identified phenolics was lower in fruits compared to leaves. Such a large number of bioactive phenolics identified and the strong antioxidant activity pointed to A. unedo as a promising health-promoting plant and natural food preservative.