Project financed by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding
(UEFISCDI)
Project type: Exploratory Research Projects (PCE)
Project leader: Dr. Dana Alina Magdas
PROJECT CODE: PN-IV-P1-PCE-2023-1266
Contract No. 81PCE/2025
Project implementation period: 01.07.2025 - 30.06.2028
Project abstract
The global herb and spice industry is evaluated at around US$4 billion, being in expansion. At the EU level, an important quantity (in 2019, around 380k tons) of these types of commodities was imported mostly from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Owing to growing demands and driven by the desire of unfair producers/traders to get an illicit profit and in parallel with an ineffective action taken by the control authorities on the supply chain, adulterated herbs or spices are released on the market. Thus, spices are one of the food products that are the most prone to falsification. The general objective of the present project consists in the development of new robust analytical tools able to assess the authenticity and quality of some of the most widely consumed grounded spices and herbs (pepper, paprika, garlic, basil, oregano, lovage) commercialized on the Romanian market. For this purpose, more than 600 samples will be analyzed by IRMS and ICP-MS, as well as through vibrational spectroscopy. The huge amount of generated experimental data will be exploited using advanced statistical tools, AI, as well as data fusion strategies, to extract meaningful information that can be used to detect the most subtle adulteration attempts, like partial substitution of spices with cheaper ingredients. Apart from the development of reliable recognition tools, the project aims to perform the first survey concerning the toxicity effects of the investigated spices, from the Romanian market.
Project objectives
O1
Designing and populating the first database containing: i) the isotope signature; ii) the elemental profile and iii) the vibrational fingerprint of authentic investigated spices;
O2
Development of robust recognition models for authentication assessment of the investigated spices/herbs able to detect subtle adulteration attempts, like partial substitution;
O3
Development of new tools for the quantitative estimation of the adulteration degree based on AI (machine learning – ML algorithms);
O4
Identification of the mostly used adulterants present in the commercial spices and herbs;
O5
Estimation of the toxicity level and health risk raised by the consumption of commercially available grounded spices and herbs;
O6
Dissemination of the results in high impact journals and at prestigious scientific events;
O7
Knowledge transfer towards specialists from the health/sanitary system and control authorities as well as to the general public;
Project team
Dana Alina Magdaș
Scientific Researcher I
Project Leader
Adriana Filip
Professor
Member
Gabriela Cristea
Scientific Researcher II
Member
Adriana Dehelean
Scientific Researcher II
Member
Ana Camelia Groșan
Scientific Researcher II
Member
Ariana Raluca Magdaș
PhD Student, Research Assistant
Member
Maria David
PhD Student, Research Assistant
Member
Tudor Mihai Magdaș
PhD Student
Member
Results
Scientific papers
- Magdas, A. R., David, M., Berghian-Grosan, C., Baia, M., Vedeanu, N., Magdas, D. A. (2025). Data fusion – An effective tool for the development of recognition models for food authentication. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 384(2), 127246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2025.127246
- Magdas, T. M., Bodolea, C., Gherman, C., Hategan, A. R., Magdas, D. A., David, M., Capras, R. D. & Filip, G. A. (2025). Neurotoxicity of Lanthanum Salts: A Narrative Review of Mechanistic Insights from Cellular and Animal Models. Molecules, 30(18), 3748. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183748
Conferences
- David, M., Hategan, A. R., Magdas, D. A. Molecular fingerprinting of commercially available Spirulina using vibrational spectroscopy. 4th Food Chemistry Conference: Reshaping Global Food Systems, 14-16 October 2025, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
- Magdas, D. A., David, M., Hategan, A. R., Berghian-Grosan, C. Vibrational spectroscopy in corroboration with advanced data processing strategies for food authentication and adulteration detection. Final International Conference SensAIfood, organized on behalf of Cost Action IG19145 - Artificial intelligence methods for spectral data processing to solve food fraud and authenticity issues, 8-10 October 2025, Tirana, Albania.
- David, M., Hategan, A. R., Magdas, D. A. Spectroscopic approaches for analyzing Spirulina dietary supplements. 15th International Conference PIM – Processes in Isotopes and Molecules, 16-19 September 2025, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- Magdas, T. M., Baldea, I., Dehelean, A., Magdas, D. A., Balan, A. M., Bodolea, C., Filip, G. A. REE Exposure Reveals Divergent Stress Responses in Normal versus Cancerous Human Cells despite Comparable Cellular Uptake. KOSAT Conference, 10-12 September 2025, Białystok, Poland.
Invited talks
- Magdas, D. A., Hategan, A. R., David, M. Data Fusion of Multi-Source Spectral Data for Food Recognition. Smart Diaspora 2025, 6th edition, 4-7 November 2025, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
The cognitive and socio-economic impact
Cognitive impact
The project aims to develop and validate innovative tools for the authentication of spices and herbs, based on a multimodal analytical approach (isotopic, elemental, and vibrational) and on recognition models built using machine learning algorithms and data fusion strategies, capable not only of identifying adulteration but also of quantitatively estimating its degree. The creation of the first integrated database comprising the isotopic, elemental, and vibrational fingerprints of the investigated authentic spices will substantially contribute to extending knowledge on the natural variability of these products and will provide the scientific basis for the development of robust and reliable analytical tools.
Socio-economic impact
The project will have a significant socio-economic impact through its direct contribution to consumer protection, the reduction of commercial fraud, and the support of honest producers, by developing reliable tools for assessing the authenticity of spices on the Romanian market. Moreover, the potential health issues associated with the consumption of falsified products also entail an economic component related to the costs borne by the healthcare system. The proposed topic has a significant social impact, as it aims to address a critical gap generated by the lack of adequate tools for spices and herbs adulteration detection, both at the national and international levels. Through the dissemination of results in high-profile journals and conferences, as well as through knowledge transfer to authorities and specialists in the fields of health and food safety, the project directly contributes to fostering a culture of authenticity and transparency in the agri-food chain.
Contact
INCDTIM - National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies
Project Leader
Dr. Dana Alina MAGDAȘ
Address: 67-103 Donat St, PO 5 Box 700, 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Phone: (+40)264-584037, int. 133
Fax: (+40)264-420042
Email: alina.magdas@itim-cj.ro