Researchers in Ireland and the Czech Republic have worked together to develop a new technique to detect meat fraud.
They use mass spectroscopy to determine the protein content of products such as sausages and hamburgers, and to identify those that have had bulking agents added to mask the addition of water.
They say current methods are not able to detect modern fraud.
The investigators evaluated rapid evaporative mass spectrometry (REIMS) technology used to detect undeclared additives in chopped pork and chicken meat-based products and within minutes were able to detect adulterants with a high degree of confidence when more than 2.5 per cent of these substances were added, says their report in the scientific journal Food Control.
