Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives
Food fraud and adulteration have been persistent issues affecting food supply chains throughout history. They intensify in parallel with the continuous growth in the global food market. Plant-based proteins, which are recognized as sustainable alternatives, face increased food fraud risks because of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1548 |
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| author | Jun-Hyeok Ham Yeon-Jung Lee Seung-Su Lee Hae-Yeong Kim |
| author_facet | Jun-Hyeok Ham Yeon-Jung Lee Seung-Su Lee Hae-Yeong Kim |
| author_sort | Jun-Hyeok Ham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Food fraud and adulteration have been persistent issues affecting food supply chains throughout history. They intensify in parallel with the continuous growth in the global food market. Plant-based proteins, which are recognized as sustainable alternatives, face increased food fraud risks because of disparities in the cost of raw materials and complex processing methods. Despite these challenges, most efforts toward preventing food fraud and developing detection technologies have largely focused on animal-based products, with limited attention given to plant-based proteins. This comprehensive review systematically examines the characteristics of major plant protein sources and explores documented instances of food fraud (e.g., ingredient substitution, adulteration with lower-cost alternatives, and mislabeling) within this sector. Furthermore, we discuss key analytical techniques in detecting food fraud, including chromatography, DNA analysis, spectroscopy, and imaging-based approaches, examining their applications and effectiveness. A systematic literature review was conducted using structured search strategies across Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, covering publications from 2010 to 2025 and incorporating keywords related to plant-based proteins, food fraud, adulteration, and authentication, thereby ensuring methodological rigor and comprehensive coverage. This study provides a foundational framework to strengthen food fraud prevention strategies and uphold the integrity of the expanding plant-based protein market. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-75216c56cced412cbced98596f1765ec |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-75216c56cced412cbced98596f1765ec2025-08-20T02:59:08ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-04-01149154810.3390/foods14091548Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory PerspectivesJun-Hyeok Ham0Yeon-Jung Lee1Seung-Su Lee2Hae-Yeong Kim3Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of KoreaFood fraud and adulteration have been persistent issues affecting food supply chains throughout history. They intensify in parallel with the continuous growth in the global food market. Plant-based proteins, which are recognized as sustainable alternatives, face increased food fraud risks because of disparities in the cost of raw materials and complex processing methods. Despite these challenges, most efforts toward preventing food fraud and developing detection technologies have largely focused on animal-based products, with limited attention given to plant-based proteins. This comprehensive review systematically examines the characteristics of major plant protein sources and explores documented instances of food fraud (e.g., ingredient substitution, adulteration with lower-cost alternatives, and mislabeling) within this sector. Furthermore, we discuss key analytical techniques in detecting food fraud, including chromatography, DNA analysis, spectroscopy, and imaging-based approaches, examining their applications and effectiveness. A systematic literature review was conducted using structured search strategies across Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, covering publications from 2010 to 2025 and incorporating keywords related to plant-based proteins, food fraud, adulteration, and authentication, thereby ensuring methodological rigor and comprehensive coverage. This study provides a foundational framework to strengthen food fraud prevention strategies and uphold the integrity of the expanding plant-based protein market.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1548plant-based proteinsfood fraudfood authenticityadulteration detection |
| spellingShingle | Jun-Hyeok Ham Yeon-Jung Lee Seung-Su Lee Hae-Yeong Kim Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives Foods plant-based proteins food fraud food authenticity adulteration detection |
| title | Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives |
| title_full | Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives |
| title_short | Food Fraud in Plant-Based Proteins: Analytical Strategies and Regulatory Perspectives |
| title_sort | food fraud in plant based proteins analytical strategies and regulatory perspectives |
| topic | plant-based proteins food fraud food authenticity adulteration detection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1548 |
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