Stable isotope ratio analysis in determining the geographical traceability of Indian wheat

Authentication of geographical origin of food has become indispensable because of the increased awareness of consumers and globalization of food market. A preliminary study was done to establish correlation between isotopic composition (delta C-13, delta N-15) and geographical origin of the wheat samples obtained from different regions of cultivation. Twenty samples of wheat were collected from adjoining states of India and their delta C-13 as well as delta N-15 values were determined using isotopic ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The mean delta C-13 values for different states ranged from -24.62% to -27.84% and were significantly different among the states at p < 0.05. Whereas, mean delta N-15 values of wheat varied from 132% to 3.80%. The difference in the delta N-15 values from different states were not significant at p < 0.05. So, delta N-15 values could not be considered for discriminating wheat of different origin. However, delta C-13 values showed good potential in differentiating wheat from different geographical origin. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.