Application of the EN 1788 European standard for the control of saffron, pepper and blends

Twenty-five samples of saffron (11), pepper (9) and herbs, seasonings and spice blends (5) from Asia, South America, Africa and Europe have been analyzed by means of the EN 1788 protocol. The thermoluminescence (TL) emission of minerals isolated from the foodstuffs allows us to differentiate between irradiated (1) and non-irradiated (24) samples. According to the X-ray diffraction and environmental scanning microscope, the mineralogical composition adhered to the samples is mainly made up of different amounts of quartz, calcite, mica, gypsum, K and Na-rich feldspars, kaolinite, clinochlore and (only in mixtures) halite. All of them are sensitive to ionizing radiation, exhibit enough TL intensity, have high stability of the TL signal during the storage of the material, and are thermally and chemically stable. The EN 1788 European Standard arises as a reasonable protocol to discriminate among irradiated and non-irradiated food; nevertheless, it has some limitations that are discussed in the paper.