Premium
Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in U.S. milk: Insight into production process
Author(s) -
Bostic Joshua N.,
Hagopian William M.,
Jahren A. Hope
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.8069
Subject(s) - chemistry , sugar , food science , isotope analysis , isotopes of nitrogen , nitrogen , skimmed milk , stable isotope ratio , zoology , ecology , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
Rationale Stable isotope analysis (SIA), a potential method of verifying the geographic origin and production method of dairy products, has not been applied to United States (U.S.) dairy samples on a national scale. To determine the potential of carbon and nitrogen SIA in authenticity assessment of U.S. dairy products, we analyzed a geographically representative collection of conventional milk samples to determine isotopic variations with (1) Purchase Location and (2) Macronutrient Content. Methods A total of 136 milk samples spanning five commercially available varieties (3.25% [i.e., 'whole'], 2%, 1%, 0% [i.e., 'skim'] and 1% chocolate) were collected from randomly selected counties across the U.S. as part of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) National Food and Nutrient Analysis program. δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of bulk samples determined via elemental analysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS) were used to assess the contribution of fat content, added sugar content and census‐designated region of collection to isotopic variations within the dataset. Results There was a negative linear relationship between fat content and δ 13 C values, with average milk δ 13 C values decreasing by 0.33‰ for each 8.75% increase in dry weight (1% wet weight) fat content. The average δ 13 C value of flavored 1% chocolate milk samples, which contain an additional 12 g of added sugar, was 2.05‰ higher than that of 1% unflavored milk (−16.47‰ for chocolate milk vs −18.52‰ for unflavored milk). When controlling for macronutrient content, milk samples collected in West region supermarkets possessed significantly lower δ 13 C values than samples collected from Midwest, South, and Northeast regions. δ 15 N values did not vary with macronutrient content or region of collection. Conclusions Carbon stable isotope ratios in U.S. milk samples varied with macronutrient content and region of purchase, suggesting that SIA can provide insight into production processes within the U.S. dairy industry, with potential applications in national food adulteration and authentication efforts.