Recent Advances in Traceability, Authentication, and Bioactive Profiling of Fruit and Fruit‐Based Products Using Analytical Techniques Combined With Chemometrics
Muhammad Arslan, Muhammad Zareef, Mubrrah Afzal, Haroon Elrasheid Tahir, Halah Aalim, Naymul Karim, Mohammad Rezaul Islam Shishir, Hamza M. A. Abaker, Allah Rakha, Xiaobo Zou
Abstract
Fruit and fruit-based products are a valuable source of essential nutrients, critical for food security, and drive economic productivity with minimal inputs. The significant rise in global demand for high-quality imported fruit and fruit-based products reflects a shift in consumer awareness and interest in the products origin and potential health-promoting bioactive compounds. Analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, inductively coupled plasma techniques, isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, visible near infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging (HSI), mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, terahertz spectroscopy, dielectric spectroscopy, electronic nose (e-nose), and electronic tongue (e-tongue) coupled with supervised and unsupervised chemometrics can be employed for traceability, authentication, and bioactive profiling of fruit and fruit-based products. Regulatory bodies are seeking a comprehensive and updated list of analytical approaches to support law implementation for identifying cultivars, geographical origin traceability, authentication, and bioactive profiling of fruit and fruit-based products. This review article presents the most relevant and updated information regarding destructive and nondestructive analytical techniques for traceability, authentication, and bioactive profiling of fruit and fruit-based products. This document will be a reference for fruit processing industries to adopt and implement these advanced laboratory-based techniques. Technical challenges and future directions related to applying analytical techniques and chemometrics for traceability, authentication, and bioactive profiling of fruit and fruit-based products are also discussed, which should be investigated in future studies.