Tag Archives: alcohol

Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

Caught in the Whiskey Web

By Susanne Kuehne
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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food fraud, whiskey
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database.
Image credit: Susanne Kuehne

When we talk about the identification of fraudulent foods and beverages, many elaborate methods are available in analytical chemistry and food labs. The method of using “whiskey webs” is quite unusual in its simplicity; it is based on the unique residue left behind by each beverage after evaporation. American Whiskey is matured in new charred oak barrels that transfer a number of water-insoluble components into the final product, allowing each whiskey to leave behind its own unique “fingerprint”.

Resource

  1. Wilson, C. (October 29, 2019). “American whiskey leaves behind a web-like ‘fingerprint’, finds study”. Decanter.

 

Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

Food (or Beverage) Fraud That Kills

By Susanne Kuehne
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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food fraud, methanol, alcohol, Costa Rica
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne

Methanol is highly toxic for humans, and increased amounts can show up in fraudulent or illegal alcoholic beverages. Dozens of methanol poisoning cases still happen every year around the world, some of them being deadly, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The FBI is assisting the Costa Rican Police in the investigation of 20 recent deaths that are possibly methanol-related. Costa Rican authorities have searched a production facility, seized liquor and issued a nationwide alert.

Resource

Knowles, H. (July 24, 2019). “Tainted alcohol has led to 20 deaths in Costa Rica, authorities say”. The Washington Post.

Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

Some Booze Is Going to the Dogs

By Susanne Kuehne
No Comments
Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud, Dogs drinking cocktail
Records involving fraud can be found in the Food Fraud Database.

It is not really surprising that alcoholic beverages are the target of fraudsters. However, it is certainly not the norm to find counterfeited spirits in the heart of Europe sporting big brand names. Whether the products discovered at an illegal factory in Knockbridge, Ireland contain any adulterants other than ethyl alcohol is not known, however, a warning about potential danger to public health was issued, since the beverages were not made under controlled conditions.

Resource

Hutton, B. (March 30, 2019). “Warning issued about counterfeit alcohol after illegal factory uncovered in Co Louth”. The Irish Times. Accessed March 30, 2019. Retrieved from
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/warning-issued-about-counterfeit-alcohol-after-illegal-factory-uncovered-in-co-louth-1.3844401#.XKXBLDw3QKU.