Belfast, Northern Ireland based Bia Analytical Ltd has now added coriander to its rapidly expanding authenticity testing portfolio. Building upon a successful year of product launches, the company now offers a range of ten herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Coriander is one of the worlds longest-used spices, recorded as far back as 5000 BC. A plant native to Western Asia and Southern Europe, coriander provides a multitude of health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties and is an excellent source of protein and Vitamin C. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.

As with many spices, coriander is however prone to economically motivated food fraud with known adulterants such as buckwheat, cornflower, rice flour, tapioca. All of which can be detected as adulterants using Bia Analyticals laboratory-based testing method. This extensively validated protocol can detect adulteration in coriander and can be used to help protect the spice industry from fraud.

The company is currently working with several herb and spice companies to source materials and develop further methods by collecting and analysing hundreds of known authentic samples (and also many of their known potential adulterants) from around the world. This allows the company to create models that include many different authentic samples, as well as the various potential adulterants.

Bia Analyticals state-of-the-art food laboratories in Belfast carry out accurate and rapid analysis of samples, with a guaranteed three working day turnaround time, to help reduce food business exposure to the risk of food fraud. The company now offers rapid authenticity testing for ten herbs and spices including black pepper, turmeric, sage, paprika, oregano, garlic, cumin, ginger, white pepper and coriander –with the team working to extend the product portfolio to 25 models by the end of 2021 with the inclusion of methods for new food groups.