Isotope Analysis
What is isotope analysis?
- Isotope analysis refers to the identification of the isotopic signature and abundance of certain stable isotopes of chemical elements in organic and inorganic compounds.
- Isotope analysis can be used to understand the flow of energy through a food web to reconstruct past environmental and climatic conditions to study past human and animal diets to authenticate foods and a variety of other physical, geological, paleontological and chemical factors.
- Stable isotope ratios are measured using mass spectrometry, which separates the different isotopes of an element on the basis of their mass-to-charge ratio.
- The isotopic fingerprint or signature is the combination of δ value (delta value) of one or more elements and/or elemental ratios and/or other measured parameters that characterize the compound or produce.
- Example: δ13C (pronounced “delta C thirteen”) is the carbon isotopic fingerprint (signature), a measure of the stable isotopes 13C:12C, reported in parts per thousands.
- All organisms take up elements from the environment, although different elements are taken up at different rates and in different forms. Their elemental and isotopic compositions are in most cases not the same as in the environment (water, soil, food), but still typical for a region of origin.
- Plants or animals of the same species from different environments also live in different conditions regarding the temperature, humidity, insolation, soil composition and food sources.
- Therefore, the isotopic compositions of elements in their bodies may slightly differ, however, the difference must not occur in all elements.
- Nevertheless, to estimate the source area of produce, isotopes are not always enough; in addition to the isotopes, the chemical (elemental) composition (e.g. the ratio between different elements) can be used to determine their origin, or even further, the isotopic and elemental ratios in specific compounds of the organisms.
- For this reason, in recent years, stable isotope analysis has gained increasing attention in control of food quality and provenance due to the high efficiency and precision of this method. Generally, the isotope analysis focused on three aspects of food authenticity and traceability:
(i) Discrimination of food adulteration
(ii) Tracing the geographical origin of food productions
(iii) Verifying organic food
Do you require help or further information?
Contact us! We are happy to advise you:
Honey
- In 2021, Vietnam’s honey volume reached about 50,000 tons per year with 90% of it being exported. Up to 90% of the country’s honey was shipped to the US.
- According to the Vietnam Beekeepers Association, Vietnam is home to nearly 40,000 beekeeping households and hundreds of honey processing and export businesses.
- Vietnamese honey has been gradually staking out a presence in the EU, Japan, and South Korea, which shows that it meets the strict regulations in these markets.
- Over the past 30 years, American importers have been traditional partners, they have used Vietnamese ingredients, market segments and consumers have been familiar with this product.
- Also, in 2021, USD 8.17 billion was the value of the global honey market size. By 2029, the market is expected to grow to USD 12.69 billion, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.83% during the forecast period. Rising demand for organic and healthy alternatives to sugar to propel market growth.
- That is why Tentamus Vietnam and Quality Services International GmbH (also known as QSI) (both are the member of Tentamus Group GmbH) invested the latest equipment and machine in Vietnam to build a honey testing laboratory with the quality is comparable to QSI to support our customers in sourcing the quality products in Vietnam as well as in the region.
- With our high investment on the state-of-the-art machines and equipment together with Vietnamese technician who have more than 10 years of experience have been analyzing more than 5,000 samples per year exported to US and EU market, we are confident to offer a world-class laboratory service to our customers.
Most requested Parameters
Pollen analysis to determine origin
Parameters according to EC Honey Directive
- Sugar content
- Moisture
- Water-insoluble substances
- Electrical conductivity
- Acidity
- Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)
- Diastase-activity (Schade, Phadebas and nitrophenol method)
GMO (genetically modified organisms)
Bee medicinesAmitraz
- Chlorfenvinphos
- Coumaphos
- 4,4′-Dibrombenzophenon
- Flumethrin
- Tau-Fluvalinat
Antibiotics
- Tetracycline
- Streptomycine
- Sulfonamides
- Tylosin
- Fluorchinolones
- Nitroimidazoles
- NitrofuranMetabolites
- Macrolides
- Penicillines
- Chloramphenicol
Pesticides
- Neonicotinoids
- Glyphosate
Pyrrolizidin alcaloids
Adulteration
- NMR
- 13C Isotope analysis (EA-IRMS + LC-IRMS)
- HR-MS
- Honeyforeign amylase
- Honeyforeign invertase
- Thermoresistant Amylase
- FamyP
- Oligosaccharides from starch based syrups
- Determination of caramel colour
- Detection of rice syrup marker substance (SM-R and TM-R)
- Detection of beet sugar syrup marker (SM-B)
- Detection of adulteration marker psicose
Mikrobiology
- Aerobic, mesophilic bacteria
- Salmonellae
- Yeasts
- Moulds/spores
- E. Coli
- Coliform Bacteria
- Enterobacteriaceae
- Listeria
- Staphylococcus
- Mesophile sulfite reducing Clostridia
Heavy metals
- Lead
- Iron
- Cadmium
- Mercury
- Arsenic
Fruit Juice
- Fruit juice is the liquid extracted from the flesh of fruits or the whole fruit itself. It is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating the fruit without heat or solvents. Juicing separates the pulp (fiber) from the liquid, providing vitamins and minerals from the fruits.
- Drinking fresh juice is an easy way to get numerous vitamins and minerals into your body and many research show that drink fruit juice in the right way has various health benefits such as: reducing the trisk of cancer; boosting the immune system; removing toxins from the body; aiding digestion; helping with weight loss; protecting cardiovascular health; reducing inflammation; …
- Due to the high health benefits of fruit juices and the great convenience it may bring to consumers, there is the high demand of this product conflicting with the high cost of the fruit, and the possibility of poor harvests makes the fruit juice industry susceptible to adulteration.
- Detection and prevention of fruit juice adulteration is a very complex task due to the natural variation in the cultivars, as well as differences that occur with different growing regions, storage conditions, and processing techniques.
- As fruit juice as well as other food and beverage products have a fingerprint, a unique chemical signiture that allows the product to be identified. Tentamus Vietnam uses Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) technology to visualize this fingerprint. This technology using standardized methods can detect fraudulent practices such as sugar addition or water added to fruit juice.