Development of analytical methods to differentiate between soya beans from the EU and non-EU countries
Soya is one of the agricultural products for which compliance with deforestation-free supply chains applies according to EU Regulation 2023/1115. From the end of 2025 onwards, soya farmers and importers will have to prove that no forests have been destroyed for soya cultivation. Currently, the demand for soya and other protein-containing animal feed in the EU is primarily covered by imports from non-EU countries, including Brazil and the USA. Concurrently, there is an increasing trend of European countries intensifying the cultivation of soya. In order to be able to prove the country of origin of soya beans in future, analytical methods are needed to determine their correct provenance. The development of these methods is being undertaken as part of an international cooperation project involving the NRZ-Authent.
The objective of the research project is to identify a suitable analytical method or a combination of analytical techniques that can differentiate between soya beans from the EU and those from non-EU countries. A range of methods for determining origin will be applied to authentic soya samples. These samples are sourced from verified origins.
The project is a three-year collaboration involving the NRZ-Authent and three other laboratories from various EU countries. The project partners will contribute to the project with their respective methodological expertise, with the following areas to be represented: The NRZ-Authent is responsible for stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The other project partners measure the samples using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Finally, the results of the different measurement methods are evaluated.
Reference database for checking the authenticity of feed soya
The reference database is utilised for the purpose of verifying the authenticity of feed soya. The data collected will be integrated into a reference database. The database facilitates the verification of the authenticity of feed soya by enabling a comparison of unknown commercial samples or imports with the reference data set.
It is important to note that, in addition to soya, other feed crops are traded globally. However, analytical detection methods for origin control and reference datasets are currently not available for these. This gap will be closed at a later date using the experience gained from the soya project.