¹³C and ¹⁸O isotopic analysis to determine the origin of L‐tartaric acid

Abstract

Due to the ever-increasing amount of attention paid to the 'naturalness' of ingredients in food and beverages by both consumers and controlling authorities, the search for suitable methods for the characterisation of origin is of primary importance. Within the European Community the wine production industry is often faced with the problem of origin control of tartaric acid. This has led to the decision that only L-tartaric acid extracted from grapes (therefore natural) should be used. In order to implement these regulations, a screening of different techniques has been carried out to assess the methodology that best identifies the origin of the tartaric acid. It has already been indicated in previous scientific literature that isotope ratio mass spectrometry is an ideal technique for this type of identification. In this paper we present the results obtained for the measurement of the isotope ratios of carbon-13 and oxygen-18 of natural and synthetic samples of L-tartaric acid considering also natural samples of different geographical origin and years of production.

Investigation of Geographical Origin and Production Method of L(+)-Tartaric Acid by Isotopic Analyses with Chemometrics

“…While natural tartaric acid samples were classified by geographical origin. The isotope ratios for carbon and oxygen in natural samples were consistent with previous studies [7,13].…”

“…Currently, European regulation allows only the use of natural tartaric acid [5,6]. To avoid adulteration, diverse analysis has been used to track the tartaric acid origin [7].…”

“…Moreover, plants transpiration and/or exchange with atmospheric vapor causes enrichment of heavy oxygen. Due to these differences and studies, it is generally agreed that δ 18 O is higher in the natural tartaric acid than in the synthetic one [7,13]. The hydrogen atoms present in natural tartaric acid come from precipitation water, which make the 2 H/ 1 H ratio extremely dependent on region and climate [14].…”

Isotopic analysis of ethanol: study on 18O/16O measurement using a high‐temperature pyrolysis system coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer

“…18 O content may be measured either in the bulk product (olive oil) or in targeted molecules (vanillin, ethanol, tartaric acid). [10][11][12][13][14] For the present peer study, there was a good return of results (11 out of the 12 contacted laboratories), and valuesexpressed in a d (delta) scale, in % versus V-SMOW as defined in the formula below-are presented in Tables 1 and 2. 18…”

Control of oenological products: discrimination between different botanical sources of L‐tartaric acid by isotope ratio mass spectrometry

“…5 Alternative sources of L-tartaric acid are through synthesis and from natural origin such as extraction from tamarind which is now an economically important way of production.…”