FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | August 18, 2016

The science of spotting fake foods (video)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2016 — There’s not much that can top a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs — except, of course, for what belongs on top: parmesan cheese. But, it turns out, what we’re eating might not be parmesan at all — the Food and Drug Administration recently found that several sellers in the U.S. were filling their batches with lower-cost cheeses or even cellulose, also known as wood pulp. Food authentication helps ensure that our cheese, olive oil and other foods are the real deal, and that they don’t contain unwanted adulterants. To do so, scientists employ a variety of analytical techniques to identify chemical signs of legitimate food. Learn about the science of spotting fake foods here: https://youtu.be/V_JIjJJ8Zq0.

Youtube ID: V_JIjJJ8Zq0

Speaking of Chemistry is a production of Chemical & Engineering News, a weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society. The program features fascinating, weird and otherwise interesting chemistry topics. Subscribe to our weekly series at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions and follow us on Twitter @CENMag.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

###

Follow us:      

Media Contact

Matt Davenport, Ph.D.
202-872-4567
m_davenport@acs.org

Adam Dylewski
202-872-4460
a_dylewski@acs.org