This study is a systematic literature review of geographical origin authentication by elemental analytical techniques. Authentication and certification of geographic origin of agri-food products is a useful tool toward the protection of the quality for products. The aim of this work was to map the current state of research in the area of agricultural products and food, identifying emerging fields to the geographical origin of products. The article is divided in three parts. The first part of the article deals with the analytical techniques applied in the food authentication. Special mention is made to elemental analysis and multiple isotope ratio. The second section focuses on statistically published data concerning published research for geographical origin authentication for the period 2015–2019. Specific results are presented inter alia: number of articles according to the type of product, articles according to the type of the analytical techniques, and others. The third part contains characteristic results from articles that were published in the period 2015–2019, on certification of geographical origin on specific agricultural products.

Fraudulent practices are the first and foremost concern of food industry, with significant consequences in economy and human’s health. The increasing demand for food has led to food fraud by replacing, mixing, blending, and mislabeling products attempting to increase the profits of producers and companies. Consequently, there was the rise of a multidisciplinary field which encompasses a large number of analytical techniques aiming to trace and authenticate the origins of agricultural products, food and beverages. Among the analytical strategies have been developed for the authentication of geographical origin of foodstuff, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) increasingly dominates the field as a robust, accurate, and highly sensitive technique for determining the inorganic elements in food substances. Inorganic elements are well known for evaluating the nutritional composition of food products while it has been shown that they are considered as possible tracers for authenticating the geographical origin. This is based on the fact that the inorganic component of identical food type originating from different territories varies due to the diversity of matrix composition. The present systematic literature review focusing on gathering the research has been done up-to-date on authenticating the geographical origin of agricultural products and foods by utilizing the ICP-MS technique. The first part of the article is a tutorial about food safety/control and the fundaments of ICP-MS technique, while in the second part the total research review is discussed.

In the present work, direct incorporation of bioactive compounds onto the surface and interlayer of nanoclays before their incorporation into the final polymeric film was conducted, based on a green methodology developed by our group that is compatible with food packaging. This will lead to the higher thermal stability and the significant reduction of the loss of activity of the active ingredients during packaging configuration. On this basis, the essential oil (EO) components carvacrol (C), thymol (T) as well as olive leaf extract (OLE), which is used for the first time, were incorporated onto organo-modified montmorillonite (O) or inorganic bentonite (B) through the evaporation/adsorption method. The prepared bioactive nanocarriers were further mixed with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), via melt compounding, in order to prepare films for potential use as fresh fruit and vegetable packaging material. Characterization of the bioactive nanocarriers and films were performed through XRD, TGA, tensile, antimicrobial and antioxidant tests. Films with organically modified montmorillonite loaded with carvacrol (OC), thymol (OT) and olive leaf extract (OOLE) at 5% wt. showed better results in terms of mechanical properties. The films with polyethylene and organically modified montmorillonite loaded with carvacrol or thymol at 20% wt. (PE_OC20 and PE_OT20), as well as with olive leaf extract at 5 or 10 %wt., clay:bioactive substance ratio 1:0.5 and 10% compatibilizer (PE_OOLE5_MA10 and PE_OOLE10_MA10) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. The resulting films displayed outstanding antimicrobial properties against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) with the best results appearing in the films with 10% OC and OT.

The use of essential oil components as natural antifungal preservatives in the active packaging of bread is an innovative approach that leverages the antimicrobial properties of these compounds to extend the shelf life of bread and ensure its safety. The aim of the present work was the thorough investigation of the antioxidant properties and antifungal activity of low-density polyethylene (LDPE or PE) nanocomposite films with organically modified montmorillonite (O) loaded with carvacrol (C) or thymol (T) as a function of time, starting from 2 months and concluding at 12 months. The films PE_OC and PE_OT were prepared through the evaporation/adsorption method, a green methodology developed by our group compatible with food packaging. For a comprehensive analysis of the synthesized films’ oxygen permeability (OTR), measurements were employed, indicating that the incorporation of clay–bioactive nanocarriers into LDPE films reduced their oxygen permeability. A thorough analysis in terms of the antioxidant activity of the films was assessed at various intervals (2, 3, 6, and 12 months), showing high antioxidant activity for films PE_OC10 and PE_OT10 (polyethylene with 10% wt. organically modified montmorillonite loaded with carvacrol or thymol), even at 12 months. Based on the overall analysis, the PE_OC10 film was identified as the most effective option in the antifungal evaluation conducted using white bread, demonstrating substantial inhibition of fungal growth for up to six months.