Handheld scanner tech can detect coconut water fraud

Description

There has been an explosion of interest in the health and nutritional benefits of coconut water, with huge increases in sales volumes even as production volumes have been falling. As ever, fraudsters have followed the trend and started peddling adulterated coconut water, for example by diluting it with cheaper liquids such as water, dairy products and vegetable oils and adding undeclared sweeteners such as cane sugar to alter its appearance, mouthfeel and taste. Differentiating virgin coconut water from fraudulent versions has been difficult, but a research team from the University of Manchester in the UK have shown it can be achieved quickly and effectively using Raman spectroscopy.