eChapters

Introduction

Terrorism has been experienced throughout human history by unlawful violence against innocent population to achieve financial or religious or political objective (Rakesh Gupta, 1998). Terrorism has no geographic or geopolitical boundaries and is adapting to changes in the socio-political environment. Progress in the area of science and technology have the potential to be used for both beneficial and harmful purposes leading to dual-use dilemma. Of late, more scenarios are witnessed where the applications of well-intentioned scientific research are being used for vicious purposes. Earlier, terrorism has been associated primarily with physical acts of violence and crime. Eventually the global militant and terrorism strategies evolved to chemical, nuclear, radioactive explosive agents to biological terrorism. Recently, cyber terrorism controlled by computers has seen a new form of criminal activities (www.hannover-re. com).

Introduction

Organic substances consumed for nutritional purposes can be called as “food”. Food contains biomolecules, like, protein, lipid and carbohydrate, inorganic minerals as salts, and organic substances, such as, vitamins, emulsifiers, acids, antioxidants, pigments, polyphenols and flavour-producing compounds. They can be of plant or animal origin. Depending on the durability in terms of suitability of consumption, foods can be perishable, semi-perishable and non-perishable. Food spoilage occurs due to chemical, microbial, or physical actions. eventually affecting its nutritional values, colour, edibility and texture (M. Rahman, 2007).

Introduction

Since ancient times, addition of chemicals to food and food products has been done in order to to accomplish specific functions. Spices, smoke, vinegar, and alcohol were utilised to preserve foods more than 10,000 years ago. Usage of additives in food increased dramatically in the early 1900s, in tandem with advances in food chemistry and preservation. New, tasty, convenient, and healthy meals continue to be in high demand. As a result, by the early 1960s, over 2500 different types of additives were identified and utilized by developing countries in their diets. Basic foods are additive free, but as we increase the level of processing for conversion into an array of products, variety of additives are incorporated to increase the shelf life; to retain the nutritional value as well as to achieve higher standard of sensorial characteristics.

1. Introduction

The materials widely used for food contact applications include paper and coated-paper products, cellulose products, cellophane, metals, ceramics, glass, rubber, plastics, and miscellaneous materials such as wood, fabric, etc. Most of these materials have been in vogue for several years. Among them plastics are widely used in the food industry as they offer many advantages due to their high cost-to-benefit ratio. However, food safety issues in terms of migration of additives is a cause of concern. Plastics contain a number of additives either deliberately added during their manufacture or inevitable due to technical requirement.

Introduction

Food adulteration compromises quality of foods and causes human health hazards is a menace mankind had been facing since ages. Spice adulteration scandals in the year 2004, Horse gate scandal in Europe during 2013 are famous examples of food fraud. Various forms of food adulteration and cheating such as substitution of cheaper food components in place of original product, addition of non-permitted substances, and false claims by misbranding or mislabeling are prevalent from time immemorial (Spink et al 2019).

Introduction

The act of substituting food or drink with low grade quality ingredients thereby the f inal product will fail to the meet the regulation or standards and in most cases even unfit for human consumption (Augustin et al., 2009). With demand for profit based manufacturing market, there will be increase in points of adulteration with cheaper alternatives or inferior grade ingredients in the production of food or drink (Banti, 2020)]. Adulteration is highly prevails in developing countries such as India, where about 70% of milk supply is adulterated on day to day basis (Bittar et al., 2017). It is every nation and each individual’s responsibility to provide safe and nutritious food to the consumers.

Introduction

About sixty percent of the world’s food intake comes from the three major crops, i.e., wheat, rice and maize (Thielecke and Nugent, 2018). Depending upon the country of utilization and consumption, the products made from cereals such as barley, wheat, maize, triticale, spelt, buckwheat, rice etc. can vary in the range of pasta, bread, pastries, soups, chapatti, cooked rice etc. World cereal utilization in 2021/22 is forecasted at 2,811 million tonnes and the worldwide production of cereals is expected to reach 2,818 million tonnes by 2025 (FAO, 2020).

Introduction

All the worldwide cuisines generally rely on plant-based edible oils as the main cooking ingredient due to their unique chemical composition, further presence of unsaturated fatty acids in plant-based oils makes it a healthy complement in the diet. Lipids are known to provide almost double calories than carbohydrates. For ages, vegetable oils have contributed maximally to our nutrition and economics, but their authenticity is still a considerable issue (Firestone and Reina, 1996) as for more profitability fraudulent blends lower grade oils to high-grade expensive oils.

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy human diet. Consumption of vegetables is widely promoted by Governmental health agencies since it provide consumers essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemical compounds, at a relatively low calorie density. Furthermore, the consumption of vegetables has been strongly associated with reduced chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart related ailments. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily (Berger et al 2010). In recent years, fresh-cut produce has become more popular due to their convenience, freshness, taste and assumed “Healthiness”.

Tea as a Beverage

Tea is the most popular beverage consumed in the world after water. All types of teas including black. green, oolong, white and pu-erh tea are mainly made from the buds and young leaves of tea plants, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze belongs to the family Theaceae [1]. Depending on the different processing techniques of tea leaves, tea types are categorized as “Green Tea” (unfermented), “Black Tea” (fully fermented), “Oolong Tea” (partially fermented), “Pu-ErhTea” (post fermented) and white tea (unfermented) [2]. The manufacturing process for these different types of teas mainly differ in the degree of enzymatic oxidation (fermentation) process [1].

Introduction

Coffee is a beverage made from the roasted and ground seeds of the African tropical evergreen coffee plant. Coffee is one of the world’s three most popular beverages (together with water and tea), as well as one of the most profitable international commodities, and it is the world’s second most marketed product after petroleum (Myhrvold, 2021).Coffee is a popular beverage that is enjoyed around the world for its taste, health benefits, and ability to enhance physical performance (Simkin, 2008).

Introduction

Cocoa beans are extracted from the pod of a tree crop Theobroma cacao. It is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. In terms of world production, Ivory Coast and Ghana contribute about 65 percent of world production. Cocoa beans are the main ingredient in chocolate. (Teye, E et al 2014). One of the earliest examples of chocolate consumption comes from the Mayans. The Maya drink was prepared with cocoa and water and often included cinnamon and black pepper. It was also known as the “Food of the Gods” and offered to Emperor Moctezuma II by the Aztecs, (Verna, R. 2013). Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter cocoa in 1502.

Introduction

Spices are botanical products of tropical and subtropical plants, mainly fruits, seeds, f lowers, roots, stems, leaves, bark, or whole plant (Golob & Nations, 1999). The dominant spices of trade including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper (A. Osman et al., 2019)including aroma, flavor, and color, to foods and beverages in an effort to enhance their palatability. Herbs and spices exhibit a plethora of medicinal properties including antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Spices serve as natural preservatives to delay food spoilage and extend shelf life.

Introduction

Milk is regarded as the “ideal food” as it contains nutrients necessary for both newborns and adults (Azad & Ahmed, 2016). It is high in protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, milk is easily adulterated all over the world for several reasons, including a gap between supply and demand, the inherent nature of milk which can imbibe many adulterants that are difficult to identify, the low purchasing power of consumers, an insufficient share of the organized sector in the dairy business, and, most importantly, a lack of efficient and rapid methods for detecting adulterants (Ellis et al., 2012; Moore et al., 2012).

1. Introduction

Food is an essential requirement for survival. We work hard to earn money so that we can feed ourselves. However, at the end of the day, many of us are unsure about the quality of food we consume. The allure of money, along with a general disregard for humanity, has resulted in the addition of adulterants to food ranging from simple stones in rice to the more harmful chemicals in food of daily use. Surprisingly, food fraud is not a modern issue. There are several references to fraudulent food behaviour as early as the Romans, but it is usually considered to be the Victorian who places food fraud on the map.

1. Introduction

Livestock meat and fish are rich sources of high-quality protein and other valuable nutrients such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals and are an essential part of our healthy diet (Vladau et al., 2008; Mahmud et al., 2018; Mohanti et al., 2019; Mei et al., 2019). Food fraud and adulteration is an age-old distortive practice. The rising incidence of food contaminants and adulterants-induced health issues has challenged consumers to identify and consume safe livestock meat and fish products. Its significance has increased in recent years due to global trade, awareness among consumers, and sociopolitical issues.

In recent years dietary supplements have gained attractiveness within fitness and wellness circles. The other commonly used terms areNutraceuticals, dietary supplements or wellness-focussed foods. Being highly nutritious they are associated with a number of potential therapeutic effects. Nutrient-rich ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains are often considered dietary supplements as well. Oats fibre called, beta glucan, which has been shown to reduce inflammation, enhance immune function, and perk up heart health.

1. Conventional and Non-conventional Dietary Supplements

Nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes are often considered dietary supplements. Meanwhile, modified foods have been fortified with micro and macro nutrients to boost health benefits of foods.

Introduction

It is an eminent actuality that the diets of end users are being advanced globally; however, the patterns of food procurement and food safety protocols diverge across countries. The fundamental rationale of the trend is that the consumer awareness with regard to food safety, quality and variety has been proliferated greatly. Looking back to the history of food industry, it is unquestionable that the past has a full frame of misfortune, indignity and many disastrous incidents. Moreover, the entire muddle was not always related with microorganisms; numerous of them were associated with environmental problems, technological advancements or certain alterations in production protocols and management.

Introduction

Food fraud is not new it can be traced back to ancient Rome and Athens, where regulations prohibiting the adulteration of beverages with flavours and colours were in place. It exists since the food trade has been started. Food fraud affects all food supply chains, thus the entire food sector. Due to globalisation and the increasing complexity of supply lines, food supply chains are becoming more vulnerable to food fraud (Robson et al., 2021a). A fraud is “any act or omission relating to the use or presentation of false, incorrect, or incomplete statements or documents, or non disclosure of information in violation of a specific obligation, and any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests” (EU No. 2017/1371).

1.1 Introduction

Since the beginning of humankind, we have thrived as a species due to our unique capabilities. These skills have developed and progressed over the centuries to the point that, in recent decades, we have been able to build machines that can imitate our intelligence, as far as we comprehend it. A novel type of world may lie ahead of us.

Artificial intelligence is the future, and the future is here." - Dave Waters

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the replication of human intelligence in computers, which are programmed to think and behave in a manner similar to humans. Literacy, logic, problem-solving, perception, and linguistic appreciation are all manifestations of cognitive abilities. Artificial Intelligence refers to the development of computer systems, computer-controlled robots, or software that are designed to exhibit intelligent behavior similar to that of the human mind. The term artificial intelligence is composed of the word "Artificial," which denotes something created by humans rather than existing naturally, and "Intelligence," which refers to the capacity to gain and utilize knowledge and skills.AI is achieved by the analysis of patterns in the human brain and the evaluation of cognitive processes. The culmination of these studies leads to the creation of sophisticated software and systems with advanced intelligence. The term AI was coined by McCarthy et al. 2006 while working on Dartmouth summer research project in which they proposed that machines have the capability to emulate "every facet of learning or any other characteristic of intelligence."