Potential and limitations of non-targeted fingerprinting for authentication of food in official control

The investigation of the so-called food fingerprints provides high potential with regard to the characterization and identity verification of food. Therefore, this kind of non-targeted analysis obtained increasingly importance during the recent years. These applications are usually based on spectroscopic and spectrometric data providing the capability for a comprehensive characterization of the investigated matrices. The subsequent statistical multivariate data analysis enables a general identification of many deviations from the expected product composition. Besides the classical tests of authenticity of foods, a comprehensive analysis that also allows the detection of hazardous or safety-relevant manipulations and violations of the respective laws e.g. with regard to non-authorized food additives or a prohibited use of technological processes is of urgent need in food control. In the literature, several approaches are already pursuing the non-targeted observation of abnormalities in various foods covering a broad variety of analytical methods. This review highlights a current overview of the applicability of this approach using classic spectroscopic as well as spectrometric analytical techniques on the basis of examples of the three most investigated food matrices: honey, olive oil and wine. Furthermore, difficulties as well as challenges regarding the use of food fingerprinting in official food control are discussed. •Food fingerprinting is an upcoming approach in authentication.•The basis is the non-targeted analysis of food followed by chemometric data evaluation.•Authentication literature of the last five years is critically reviewed.•Focus is on three major food matrices of concern: wine, oil and honey.•Implementation in official food control requires standardization and validation.