Uncovering the Counterfeit: A study of whiskey authenticity through volatile organic compound fingerprinting, aroma and color sensory analysis

• Published in: Food chemistry 2024-07, Vol.447, p.139023-139023, Article 139023
• Main Authors: Bigão, Vítor Luiz Caleffo Piva, da Silva, Jonas Joaquim Mangabeira, Cassiano, Murilo Henrique Anzolini, da Costa, Bruno Ruiz Brandão, Gomes, Nayna Cândida, Marinho, Pablo Alves, Rodrigues, Caio Henrique Pinke, Aguilar, Guilherme José, Bruni, Aline Thaís, Tapia-Blácido, Delia Rita, De Martinis, Bruno Spinosa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aroma; Color; Counterfeit whiskeys; Gas Chromatography; Sensorial analyses; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139023

[Display omitted] •Non-target HS-SPME-GC–MS fingerprinting distinguishes whiskey authenticity.•Chemometrics tentatively identify VOCs markers of counterfeiting in whiskeys.•Potential consumers often miss aroma and color cues in counterfeit whiskeys. This study presents a method employing gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME-GC–MS), supplemented with chemometrics (Soft independent modelling of class analogies - SIMCA), to analyze volatile organic compound (VOCs) profiles in suspect whiskey samples. Furthermore, a sensory analysis of aroma and color was conducted with a panel of 52 non-trained volunteers to evaluate their ability to discriminate and preference for counterfeit whiskeys. The HS-SPME-GC–MS method successfully distinguished 41 seized samples from authentic beverages. Interestingly, sensory analysis revealed that panelists could differentiate between counterfeit and authentic samples with a reference standard but did not consistently show a preference for aroma. In some cases, there was even a preference for the color of counterfeit whiskeys. The findings suggest that sensorial tests alone may not effectively distinguish counterfeit from authentic whiskeys, especially for non-expert consumers, highlighting the need for analytical instrumentation methods in fraud detection.