HIGH-PRECISION ¹³C AND ¹⁸O MEASUREMENTS BY CONTINUOUS FLOW-ISOTOPE RATIO MASS SPECTROMETRY (CF-IRMS) IN ROMANIAN WINES CHARACTERIZATION

DIANA COSTINEL, ROXANA IONETE, RALUCA VREMERA, VASILE STANCIU

National R&D Institute of Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm. Valcea, Research & Development Department – ICSI Rm. Valcea, Str. Uzinei, nr. 4 OP 4, CP 10, Rm. Valcea, cod 240050, Romania, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ABSTRACT

Wines characterization is an important problem to which isotopic analysis by continuous flow- IRMS has made a significant contribution. The use of mass spectrometry (MS) to determine the ratios of stable isotopes in bio-molecules now provides the means to prove the botanical and geographical origin of a wide variety of foodstuffs – and therefore, to authenticate and eliminate fraud. There is a strong need for reliable and validated methods to ensure compliance with such regulation and to protect the interests of the consumer.
The right to producing wines with an appellation of origin is garanted by the Ministry of Agriculture, based on proposals made by the National Office of Vine and Wine (starting with the 1993 vintage year). The Ministry of Agriculture, the National Office for Vine and Wine, and the National Research Institute grants the authentication of the wines with appellation of origin.
The present paper emphasize the isotopic analysis for ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C from wines, using a new generation Isotope Ratio MS, CF-IRMS Delta V Plus, coupling with a three flexible continuous flow preparation device (GasBench II and  TC Elemental Analyser).