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A combined project team from Germany, Norway and Ireland have developed a new method based on the δ¹³C of amino acids (AA) extracted from wild caught, conventionally and organically farmed salmon. This method enables authentication even when there has been rapid developement of alternative feed ingredients such as macroalgae and insects. The team developed a new profiling tool based on amino acid δ¹³C fingerprints. which was able to discriminate with high-accuracy among wild-caught, organically, and conventionally farmed salmon. The δ¹³C fingerprints of essential amino acids appear particularly well suited for tracing protein sources, and for example, the substitution of fishmeal with macroalgae was detected at 5% difference level. The non-essential amino acids are useful for tracing lipid origins (terrestrial vs. aquatic).

Read the abstract at: Wild v farmed salmon

Italian researchers collected 118 authentic cheese samples of  four PDO cheeses (Taleggio PDO, Asiago PDO, Pecorino Toscano PDO, and Provolone Valpadana PDO) from 5 regions over a 3 year period. They analysed the dataset for five isotopic parameters: δ13C and δ15N on the casein fraction and on whole cheese; δ13C on the fat fraction of the cheese, and taking into account the variables of year, season, location and altitude, the characteristic isotopic ratios of each cheese are stable within a narrow range. 

 After applying chemometric analyses of principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), the data showed a good separation between cheese classes, particularly for the Pecorino Toscano cheese type. The results indicate the usefulness of these isotopic indicators as markers of authenticity for these PDO Italian cheeses.

Read the abstract at: Authenticity of Italian PDO cheeses