APPLICATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR FOOD AUTHENTICATION

Sa？etak Food Authentication is primarily used for testing the composition and origin of agricultural and food products. Croatia has a large number of agricultural and food products, which are due to the specific organoleptic, technological and nutritional specifics declared as high-value and they are protected by designation of origin, geographical indications and traditional specialties guaranteed. The implementation of the authentication procedure is multidisciplinary process which includes analytical methods combined with computer science, mathematics and statistics, all with the goal of achieving a more accurate and reliable information in order to make a conclusion about the origin and composition of the product. Public interest in the consumption of high-quality and safe food has led to a rapid development of methods for products authentication. The analytical approach to the analysis is divided in several categories related to the molecular analysis methods, chromatographic methods, immunological methods and spectroscopic methods. This paper describes the analytical methods used in the procedures of proving the origin, geographical indications or traditional specialties product