How well do you know your food?
Spices are parts of a plants that have been powdered into small pieces; they are widely used in cooking and some are known to have medicinal benefits. In some countries, plants used for spices are considered economic crops. For example, Saffron, per ounce, is worth more than gold! However, where there is potential for economic gain there is also potential for exploitation.
Particularly with spices, as they are distributed in their processed form, it can be very difficult to prove and identify their original species and whether they are the genuine product.
Recent developments combining DNA barcoding and High Resolution Melting Analysis (HRM) has been used by scientists to determine the authenticity of several spices belonging to the Zingiberaceae family (ginger family) [1].
Only one of seven of the shops which bought spice products contained the species on their label, the remainder were either incorrect or had contamination of other products in them. Being able to detect substitution, adulteration or contamination of products...