IsoFoodTrack: A Comprehensive Database and Management System Based on Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis for Combating Food Fraud

Cathrine Terro Robert Modic Matevž Ogrinc Andraž Simčič Jan Drole Tome Eftimov Barbara Korousic Seljak Nives Ogrinc ^*

• Institut Jožef Stefan (IJS), Ljubljana, Slovenia

The IsoFoodTrack database is a comprehensive, scalable, and flexible platform designed to manage isotopic and elemental composition data for a wide range of food commodities. It supports research in food authenticity and fraud detection by integrating isotopic data with rich metadata, including geographical, production, and methodological details. The database is built for scalability, allowing the addition of new commodities, analytical methods, and metadata fields, while ensuring interoperability with external databases through standardized formats and API integration. Based on the data collected in IsoFoodTrack using statistical, chemometric and machine learning approaches it has a capability to identify and classify the origin of food commodities. IsoFoodTrack also supports isotope mapping (isoscapes), providing spatially continuous predictions that enhance the detection of food fraud. Rigorous quality control measures ensure high data reliability, and the user-friendly web interface facilitates easy access and visualization. Openly accessible through platforms like National Center for Biomedical Ontology (NCBO) BioPortal, IsoFoodTrack is positioned for future expansion and integration of open-access data, making it a vital tool for researchers and regulatory agencies in ensuring food authenticity and traceability.