Food traceability using the 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratio mass spectrometry

Abstract

and ends with man. The environment-food interaction is clear, and the production of safe and quality food is an indispensable condition for human health. The globalization of the markets, in particular of food markets, means that a greater variety of food is proposed to consumers who want to know more about its geographical origin and characteristics. For this aim, food traceability is a tool of primary importance because it acts on both food safety and quality, in order to satisfy the needs of a demanding consumer, who is interested in the quality of the food he eats and in the controls about the veracity of the brands which protect it [1, 2]. The production of high-quality food is the first step to satisfying other important aspects, such as the development of a productive but sustainable agriculture and the control of marketing. Frequently, all this is delegated to the "labelling", which is incomplete by nature or easily manipulated. Only the use of a scientific method of identification and control of the geographical origin, independent of the "labelling" and therefore of the producer, enables us to answer in full important questions concerning food safety, food quality and consumer protection. In order to achieve good results in this field, a basic mandatory condition is to develop suitable "robust" analytical methods which can support modern legislative tools, aimed at guaranteeing food authenticity and origin and trying to avoid possible frauds; the latter are fuelled by the modern ease of transport and conservation of products in world markets. Numerous chemical, biological and genetic methods have been developed over time in order to verify the origin of foods [3]. In this paper, we will focus on mass spectrometry, in particular on the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic ratio measurement, in that it is a "robust" analytical technique, able to fulfil the requisites needed for traceability, both to satisfy the veracity of the geographical origin and to trace possible contaminated foods back to their origin. In particular, due Abstract Today, food traceability needs to develop suitable "robust" analytical methods, in terms of the precision and of the reliability of results, which can support modern legislative tools, aimed at guaranteeing food authenticity and origin and trying to avoid possible frauds. This review paper highlights the most recent results obtained with the use of the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic ratio technique, when applied to the traceability of the origin of different foods for human consumption, such as vegetables, beverages, dairy products, and meat and fish products. The instrumental techniques, with the relative methodologies and the quality of the final results, will be examined and commented.

Commercial traceability of <i>Arapaima</i> spp. fisheries in the Amazon basin: can biogeochemical tags be useful?

“…The Sr isotope ratios were obtained by transects (200 µm width; see Tabouret et al, 2010) along the major otolith axes, perpendicular to otolith growth lines. The laser-ablated material was carried with He gas to a double torch chamber in which the laser aerosol was mixed with a 2 % HNO 3 solution before introduction into the plasma (Barats et al, 2007). These conditions were adjusted to obtain the maximal plasma sensibility and stability.…”

“…Food origin and production conditions have become important issues in national and international trade to attest to adequate practices. For instance, consumers want to know whether the fishes belong to an endangered or vulnerable species and whether they were grown in natural or farmed conditions (Baffi and Trincherini, 2016;Kim et al, 2015;Pracheil et al, 2014). In order to address some of these questions, and further improve wild and farming fish management, recent studies have used biogeochemical tracers to better understand fish population dynamics, their ecological strategies, and stock origin (Brennan and Schindler, 2017;Kennedy et al, 2005;Kerr and Campana, 2013;Pracheil et al, 2014;Rojas et al, 2007;Thresher, 1999).…”

“…Determination of fish geographic origin by stable isotope analyses has been investigated by different authors aiming to characterize food origin, manage fisheries and fish stocks, build knowledge of species life history, identify critical habitats for conservation, and avoid overexploitation of fish stocks (Baffi and Trincherini, 2016;Duponchelle et al, 2016;Garcez et al, 2015;Hauser, 2018;Hegg et al, 2015;Jordaan et al, 2016;Pouilly et al, 2014;Pracheil et al, 2014). The methodological assumptions to discriminate fish stocks are based on (i) the isotopic heterogeneity among stocks and (ii) the low mobilization rates in the analyzed tissue (Kerr and Campana, 2013).…”

“…Isotopic information can be extracted from calcified structures of fishes (scale, otolith, or vertebrae) in order to preserve fish integrity for commercial use and eventually reconstruct fish life history (Campana, 1999;Pouilly et al, 2014;Pracheil et al, 2014). Strontium isotopes have been used as an origin tracer of food products because of their robust response in terms of origin authenticity and fraud detection (Baffi and Trincherini, 2016). On the other hand, carbon isotopes have been used to distinguish farmed and wild fishes according to feeding patterns (Rojas et al, 2007;Turchini et al, 2009).…”

Commercial traceability of <i>Arapaima spp.</i> fisheries in the Amazon Basin: can biogeochemical tags be useful?

“…Determination of fish geographic origin by stable isotopic analyses has been investigated by different authors aiming to certificate food origin, manage fisheries and fishes stocks, build knowledge of species life history, identify critical habitats for conservation, and avoid overexploitation of fish stocks (Pouilly et al 2014;Pracheil et al 2014;Hegg et al 2015; Garcez 10 et al 2015;Baffi and Trincherini 2016;Duponchelle et al 2016;Hauser 2018). For example, Turchini et al (2009) discriminated the geographic origin of Australian Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii) using isotopic signatures of δ 13 C, δ 15 N and δ 18 O.…”