By examining the chemical and physical 'fingerprint' of a product, the characteristics of the product can be mapped out. With this information one can identify where the product comes from or what kind of production system it was produced in. Also, undesirable substances can be detected.
This analytical fingerprint can therefore be used in many ways. Particularly in the field of food authenticity and searching for undesirable substances. RIKILT (click on 'en-homepage' in the right hand corner for the English site) gives five interesting examples from research on the Food Fingerprint and the secrets that make it so desirable.
Source: Wageningen Universiteit