Food Safety Forensics is an emerging branch of forensic chemistry that deals with using food safety principles, detection methods, and processes to solve crimes, or to verify and document food poisoning or adulteration. Food adulteration and food fraud is a very common problem and severe crime motivated by economic gain that can happen in many forms. Food products can be frauded by adding nonauthorized bulk agents or beyond legal limits or by adding nondeclared ingredients, additives, or unauthorized compounds. Food adulteration can lead to chronic poisoning, various health hazards, and even fatality. The primary threats to consumers in food safety cases are life and overall healthy well-being, The use of a structured methodology used in the forensic fields today with the application of sound food science and safety principles can quickly and accurately identify the core problem. In every foodborne illness in which damages are sought through the initiation of a lawsuit, there are five W’s of Food safety forensics that need to be answered: who, what, when, where, why, and most importantly, how? At present, food adulteration testing is being used strategically to detect the riskiest known and potential contaminants when food tampering is suspected. Newer tests are being designed that can screen for food adulteration more efficiently or confirm authenticity through genetic or biological markers.

Water kefir is a non-dairy fermented water drink which includes lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and yeasts which provide probiotic as well as antioxidant properties. Prunus armeniaca (apricot) is a promising raw material to develop a functional beverage because it is rich in carotenoids, vitamins, and phenolics. Coconut water is a natural hydrating substance and plant-based substrate. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize apricot-coconut water kefir beverage, (ACWB) a fermented beverage having 20 g (w/v) dried apricot, 8 g (w/v) brown sugar, and 8 g (w/v) water kefir grains fermented together in 100 mL coconut water and compare its physicochemical, microbial, and antioxidant properties with a control sample excluded with dried apricot but having same concentration of rest of the ingredients. After fermentation, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), water activity (aw), total bacterial count (TBC), DPPH radical-scavenging activity, and total phenolic contents (TPC) were measured. ACWB exhibited significantly higher values (p < 0.05) in terms of TSS (10.07 ± 0.01 °Brix), TA (0.298 ± 0.01%), and TBC (1.92 × 10⁷ CFU/mL), with lower pH (3.98 ± 0.07) and aw (0.94 ± 0.02) compared to the control. Enhanced antioxidant activity (DPPH = 62.7 ± 0.86%) and TPC (19.92 ± 0.32 mg CE/100 mL) confirmed its superior bioactive potential. Sensory evaluation of ACWB also found it to be more preferred, with statistically significant difference in majority of the tested attributes. The apricot supplement enhanced the fermentation activity, microbial growth, as well as the antioxidant capacity of the end product, creating a stable, tangy, and nutritionally enriched non-dairy functional beverage that could be consumed by healthy and lactose intolerant consumers.