Food authentication significantly impacts consumer health and the credibility of Food Business Operators (FBOs). As European regulations mandate the verification of food authenticity and supply chain integrity, competent authorities require access to innovative analytical methods to identify and prevent food fraud. This study utilizes the DNA metabarcoding approach on meat preparations, sampled during an official control activity. It assesses animal and plant composition by amplifying DNA fragments of the 12S rRNA and trnL (UAA) genes, respectively. The results not only confirmed the declared species but also revealed undeclared and unexpected taxa in products labelled as containing a single animal species and various unspecified plant species. Notable findings such as the presence of Murinae, Sus scrofa, Ovis aries, and Pisum sativum could raise public health concerns, compromise consumer choices made for ethical or religious reasons, and reflect the hygienic conditions of the processing plant. This study demonstrates that the DNA metabarcoding approach looks to be a promising support tool for official control authorities to ensure food authenticity and safety, and to develop risk profiles along the supply chain.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a precious and healthy ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine. Due to its high nutritional value, the interest of consumers in the composition of EVOO is constantly increasing, making it a product particularly exposed to fraud. Therefore, there is a need to properly valorize high-quality EVOO and protect it from fraudulent manipulations to safeguard consumer choices. In our study, we used a straightforward and easy method to assess the molecular traceability of 28 commercial EVOO samples based on the use of SSR molecular markers. A lack of correspondence between the declared origin of the samples and the actual origin of the detected varieties was observed, suggesting possible adulteration. This result was supported by the identification of private alleles based on a large collection of national and international olive varieties and the search for them in the molecular profile of the analyzed samples. We demonstrated that the proposed method is a rapid and straightforward approach for identifying the composition of an oil sample and verifying the correspondence between the origin of olives declared on the label and that of the actual detected varieties, allowing the detection of possible adulterations.

Ensuring the authenticity of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (MdBC), a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese, is essential for regulatory enforcement and consumer protection. This study evaluates a multi-technology analytical platform developed to detect adulteration due to the addition of non-buffalo milk or non-PDO buffalo milk in PDO dairy buffalo products. Peripheral laboratories use gel electrophoresis combined with polyclonal antipeptide antibodies for initial screening, enabling the detection of foreign caseins, including those originating outside the PDO-designated regions. For more precise identification, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) differentiates species by detecting proteotypic peptides. In cases requiring confirmation, nano-liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS) is used in central state laboratories for the highly sensitive detection of extraneous milk proteins in PDO buffalo MdBC cheese. On the other hand, analysis of the pH 4.6 soluble fraction from buffalo blue cheese identified 2828 buffalo-derived peptides and several bovine specific peptides, confirming milk adulteration. Despite a lower detection extent in the pH 4.6 insoluble fraction following tryptic hydrolysis, the presence of bovine peptides was still sufficient to verify fraud. This integrated proteomic approach, which combines electrophoresis and mass spectrometry technologies, significantly improves milk adulteration detection, providing a robust tool to face increasingly sophisticated fraudulent practices.