Stable isotope ratio analysis to assess pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and dietary supplements authenticity

The stable isotope ratio analysis of the mayor bio-elements (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur) makes it possible to authenticate pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and dietary supplements. This technique, applied to bulk samples and/or to specific compounds, can be used to detect the origin of an ingredient (synthetic or natural), the substitution of one ingredient with another, as well as the geographical and/or botanical origin of the products. The δ 13C and δ 2H values of vanillin can determine whether this product is natural (deriving from the expensive CAM plant Vanilla), biotechnologically produced or synthetic [1]. Moreover, the δ 13C values of specific components of Rosa damascene mill., one of the most expensive essential oils in the global market, can indicate the fraudulent addition of cheaper oil from C4 plants (e.g., Cymbopogon martinii, palmarosa) [2]. Finally, the δ 13C analysis is a suitable tool to discriminate between Monacolin K (contained in red yeast rice-based dietary supplements) and the marketed statin [3] and between natural L-theanine (extracted from Camellia Sinensis) and the biosynthetically produced one [4]. These examples show that the isotopic fingerprint represents an effective tool for the authenticity assessment of economically relevant pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and dietary supplements