Traceability and Authentication of Manila Clams from North-Western Adriatic Lagoons Using C and N Stable Isotope Analysis

Abstract

In the Adriatic lagoons of northern Italy, manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) farming provides important socio-economic returns and local clams should be registered with the Protected Designations of Origin scheme. Therefore, there is a need for the development of rapid, cost-effective tests to guarantee the origin of the product and to prevent potential fraud. In this work, an elemental analysis (EA) coupled with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was employed to identify the isotopic fingerprints of clams directly collected onsite in three Adriatic lagoons and bought at a local supermarket, where they exhibited certification. In particular, a multivariate analysis of C/N, δ13C and δ15N in manila clam tissues as well as δ13C in shells and 13C (calculated as δ13Cshell–δ13Ctissues) seems a promising approach for tracking the geographical origin of manila clams at the regional scale.

Multi stable isotope ratio analysis for the traceability of northern Italian apples

“…According to several studies on traceability the multi-element isotope approach involving different stable isotopic parameters (C, N, S, O, and H) is the “winning strategy” for tracing the geographical origin of different agri-food products, e.g. , cheese ( Camin et al, 2015 , Pianezze et al, 2020 ), manila clams ( Bianchini et al, 2021 , Brombin et al, 2022 , Won et al, 2021 ), and orange juice ( Rummel et al, 2010 ). Recent studies have demonstrated that the combination of multiple isotopes is particularly effective for regional food discriminations among samples collected in different micro-areas with similar environments ( Bianchini et al, 2021 , Brombin et al, 2022 ).…”

“…The analyses of S and corresponding isotope ratio 34 S/ 32 S were carried out using an EA vario PYRO Cube (Elementar) operating in combustion mode and coupled with an IRMS precisION (Elementar). C—N analyses were performed following the method described in detail by Bianchini et al (2021) , and S analyses were performed following the method described by Salani, Brombin, Natali, and Bianchini (2021) .…”

“…, local scale. For example, Bianchini et al, 2021 , Brombin et al, 2022 successfully applied multi-stable isotopic analysis to discriminate the provenance of manila clams collected in neighboring North Adriatic lagoons characterized by similar climatic and environmental conditions and Mimmo et al (2015) used the stable isotope ratios of light elements to trace the specific region of apple fruit provenance in Italy. However, studies about the determination of the specific orchard where apple fruits grow are missing.…”

Special Issue “Applications of Stable Isotope Analysis”

“…This Special Issue aims to provide an updated view and highlight the advances in the application of stable isotope analysis (SIA) in the different fields of chemistry. It includes five research articles and two review papers dealing with the use of this technique in geochemical [ 2 , 3 ], archaeological [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], environmental [ 7 ], and food [ 4 , 8 ] studies.…”

“…The article by Bianchini et al [ 8 ] deepens our understanding one of the typical applications of SIA in food sciences: authentication. Considering that the isotopic composition of a particular food, despite metabolic fractionation, is related to the ecosystem, trophic level and food chain, the authors used elemental analysis coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry to identify the isotopic fingerprints of clams from Adriatic lagoons.…”