(Press-News.org) In the shadowy world of counterfeit alcoholic spirit production, where profits soar and brands are exploited, the true extent of this illegal market remains shrouded.
Now scientists from the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) at Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, Scotland, working alongside Dr John Edwards of Process NMR Associates, based in New York, are compiling a database to test, compare and log counterfeit spirits.
The research has featured in a paper, titled, Worldwide Illicit and Counterfeit Alcoholic Spirits: Problem, Detection, and Prevention, published in the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.
The team have spent the last six months using lab-based analytical techniques to detect the chemical fingerprint of hundreds of international spirits, including whisky, tequila, mezcal, and bourbon.
Michael Bryan of the ICBD at Heriot-Watt, is leading the research as part of his PhD project. He said: “Once complete, this database will provide in-depth analysis of hundreds of legitimate spirits, becoming an information source to determine the authenticity of a product.
“At present, testing apparatus, methodology and human resource is ridiculously expensive, costing up to half a million or more pounds. And the analysis machinery is huge, they can be size of a car or bigger. So, it’s a very difficult process and what I want to do is to take a different approach.
“Let’s transfer the heavy lifting from analytical services to comparative mathematics.”
While counterfeit spirit production is sizeable, the paper acknowledges there is no single solution with tougher legislation and increased fines not proven to be significant deterrents. It highlights the need for the development of low-cost methods to determine the authenticity of a product without the need to physically open a bottle.
Working with Process NMR Associates, the scientists are using a variety of analytical tools including near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), ultra-violet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to determine the chemistry of sample spirits.
Michael continues: “By having a database of hundreds of spirits, outlining the legitimacy of a product, we can use less expensive techniques to sample a product. If it doesn’t meet those benchmarks, then we can quickly determine that it requires further analysis.
“This will ultimately save time and resources and ensure that we focus efforts on products that we suspect of being counterfeit.”
The true scale of counterfeit spirit production is unknown however the World Health Organisation estimates that at least 25% of all spirits consumed are illicit. Many other authorities including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development place this figure at over 40% in some areas.
Counterfeit spirits are commonly sold through online marketplaces, social media, and black-market websites, making them difficult to regulate and allowing sellers to hide their identity. In many cases the buyer of counterfeit spirits does so willingly, often due to affordability.
A major impact of illicit spirit production relates to public health. Some counterfeit spirits can contain harmful ingredients including, in extreme cases, aviation fuel or embalming fluid to increase the alcoholic concentration. Consequently, cases of liver damage, blindness, and death result.
Only last year, Iran saw a rise in fatalities linked to counterfeit alcohol and poisoning in the Alborz region in the north of the country with 14 deaths and at least 120 additional poisonings.
The economic impact of this illegal trade is significant, with up to 23,400 jobs said to be lost and eroding the trust of reputable manufacturers. It costs the EU, each year, around €3B in lost revenue.
As much as 33% of tested old and collected Scotch whisky is said to be counterfeit. A figure underlined in 2018 when the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre tested 55 bottles of Scotch Whisky that were old and considered rare. These were obtained from private collectors, auctions, and retail. The test concluded 21 bottles (38%) were faked, and every bottle from before 1900 found to be counterfeit.
Professor Annie Hill from Heriot-Watt University is the academic supervisor for the project. She said: “The Scotch Whisky Association drives the fight against counterfeit Scotch, and The Scotch Whisky Research Institute is a world leader in the detection of counterfeit spirits.
“This paper defines the problems and highlights potential solutions and our continuing research aims to further increase awareness, and to develop accessible and affordable methods to enable wider detection and identification of illicit distilled spirit products.”
END
Scientists’ new approach in fight against counterfeit alcohol spirits
2024-05-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Cost-effective, high-capacity, and cyclable lithium-ion battery cathodes
2024-05-02
Charge-recharge cycling of lithium-superrich iron oxide, a cost-effective and high-capacity cathode for new-generation lithium-ion batteries, can be greatly improved by doping with readily available mineral elements.
The energy capacity and charge-recharge cycling (cyclability) of lithium-iron-oxide, a cost-effective cathode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, is improved by adding small amounts of abundant elements. The development, achieved by researchers at Hokkaido University, Tohoku University, and Nagoya Institute of Technology, is reported in the journal ACS Materials Letters.
Lithium-ion batteries have become indispensable in modern life, used in a multitude ...
Artificial intelligence enhances monitoring of threatened marbled murrelet
2024-05-02
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Artificial intelligence analysis of data gathered by acoustic recording devices is a promising new tool for monitoring the marbled murrelet and other secretive, hard-to-study species, research by Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service has shown.
The threatened marbled murrelet is an iconic Pacific Northwest seabird that’s closely related to puffins and murres, but unlike those birds, murrelets raise their young as far as 60 miles inland in mature and old-growth forests.
“There are very few species like it,” said co-author Matt Betts of the OSU College of Forestry. “And there’s no ...
The solution to kidney bleeding and recovery lies within a hemostasis sponge, using the inherent capabilities of the kidneys
2024-05-02
Professor Dong-Woo Cho from the Department of Mechanical Engineering along with Jae Yun Kim, a PhD candidate, from the School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering and Tugce Sen, a PhD student, from Department of Mechanical Engineering at POSTECH, teamed up with Professor Jae Yeon Lee from Daegu Haany University's Department of Companion Animal Health. Together, they crafted a material aimed at swiftly staunching kidney bleeding and facilitating wound recovery. Their research featured in the online edition of Biomaterials, an ...
Sylvester Cancer adding cellular therapy to its arsenal against metastatic melanoma
2024-05-02
MIAMI, FLORIDA (May 1, 2024) – Patients in South Florida with metastatic melanoma will soon have access to the first cellular therapy for this advanced form of skin cancer, following its recent approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The therapy, known as tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, or TIL, uses patients’ own immune cells to battle their cancer. It will be available to patients at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as South Florida’s only center offering ...
Study finds biomarkers for psychiatric symptoms in patients with rare genetic condition 22q
2024-05-02
A recent study led by UC Davis Health researchers provides new insights into the molecular changes linked to the rare genetic condition 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, or 22q. It found unique biomarkers that could identify patients with 22q who may be more likely to develop schizophrenia or psychiatric conditions, including psychosis, which is commonly associated with 22q. The research was published in the journal Metabolomics.
People with 22q are missing a piece of chromosome 22 that contains more than 30 genes. This loss can lead to a variety of health challenges, ...
Medical school scientist creates therapy to kill hypervirulent bacteria
2024-05-02
University of Central Florida College of Medicine researcher Renee Fleeman is on a mission to kill drug-resistant bacteria, and her latest study has identified a therapy that can penetrate the slime that such infections use to protect themselves from antibiotics.
In a study published recently in Cell Reports Physical Science, Fleeman showed that an antimicrobial peptide from cows has potential for treating incurable infections from the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae. The bacteria, commonly found in the intestines, is usually harmless. ...
New study supports psilocybin’s potential as an antidepressant
2024-05-02
Psilocybin - the active ingredient in “magic” mushrooms - is a more effective treatment for symptoms of depression than controls, providing further support for its potential as an antidepressant, suggests a study published by The BMJ today.
The researchers say the findings are encouraging but “further research is needed to clarify the factors that maximise psilocybin’s treatment potential for symptoms of depression.”
Depression affects an estimated 300 million ...
The Lancet Public Health: Global study reveals stark differences between females and males in major causes of disease burden, underscoring the need for gender-responsive approaches to health
2024-05-02
Global and regional analyses reveal persistent health differences between females and males across the 20 leading causes of disease burden (illness and death—quantified as health loss) over the past 30 years.
Overall, health loss is higher in males, particularly driven by premature death; but females, despite tending to live longer, endure higher levels of illness over their lives—underscoring the diverse and evolving health needs of men and women at different stages of their lives.
These health differences emerge in adolescence highlighting the importance of early interventions and measures to prevent the onset and exacerbation ...
Revealed: face of 75,000-year-old female Neanderthal from cave where species buried their dead
2024-05-02
A new Netflix documentary has recreated the face of a 75,000-year-old female Neanderthal whose flattened skull was discovered and rebuilt from hundreds of bone fragments by a team of archaeologists and conservators led by the University of Cambridge.
The team excavated the female Neanderthal in 2018 from inside a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where the species had repeatedly returned to lay their dead to rest. The cave was made famous by work in the late 1950s that unearthed several Neanderthals which appeared ...
Hepatitis B is globally underassessed and undertreated, especially among women and Asian minorities in the West
2024-05-02
Amsterdam, May 2, 2024 – New evidence reveals global underassessment and undertreatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV), especially among women and Asian minorities in the West, a new study in the Journal of Hepatology, published by Elsevier, details.
"In clinical practice we continue to see patients with advanced liver disease due to HBV despite having vaccines for prevention and excellent oral therapy for those who are treatment eligible. Simplifying and broadening HBV management is crucial," according to the researchers.
With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 fast approaching, targeted outreach is needed to reduce new infections ...