High rate of safety and fraud issues in commercially available cinnamon

Abstract

The consumption of cinnamon, and next to it its price, have increased the last years making of this spice an attractive target for fraudsters. This work presents the outcome of a study in which 104 cinnamon samples purchased at retailers in EU countries, have been investigated. The study showed that a high share of samples, 66.3%, either did not fulfil quality criteria set by international standards, were not compliant with European food safety legislation, were suspicious of fraud, or could be toxic for children due to a high content of coumarin. Substitution of Ceylon by Cassia cinnamon, so far the most recognised type of fraud, was not the problem most frequently detected in this study. The information provided by several techniques, namely Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence, Head Space-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, q-PCR, and Termogravimetric Analyses, was needed to cover the full range of irregularities detected in the study.