Stable isotope analysis for the authenticity and traceability of food products, supplements and drugs

Stable isotope ratio analyzes (SIRA) are nowadays increasingly used for the traceability and authenticity not only of food products (e.g. milk, cheese or vegetable oils), but also of drugs (such as curcumin) and food supplements with pharmacological properties (such as monakolin K, produced by the fermentation red yeast rice). The numerous official methods are flanked by various scientific works demonstrating the power of this technique and its applicability in official and non-official controls. Thanks to the coupling of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) with separative techniques, such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, it is now possible to identify frauds ranging from the replacement of natural molecules with their synthetic form, to the identification of added adulterants, even in low concentrations.