Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL · 1984 · 13 citations · 0 references
AgricultureBotanyFood ScienceAnalytical ChemistryFood AnalysisFood ChemistryInstrumental AnalysisMass SpectrometryStable Isotope AnalysisSugar AnalysisCarbon DioxideCarbon Isotope AnalysisCarbon Isotope DiscriminationFood Sugar AnalysisIsotope Ratio Mass SpectrometryMass Spectrometric Analysis Of SugarsPlant Stable Isotope AnalysisSugar Adulteration Detection
Abstract Use of C3 carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation cycle by the sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), a dicotyledenous plant, and C4 carbon fixation cycle by 2 monocotyledenous plants, corn and cane, results in a physiological discrimination between 13C and 12C isotopes. Therefore, determination of 13C/12C ratio of maple syrup by mass spectrometry can be used to detect adulteration with cane and corn sugars. Four samples of pure maple syrup and 3 adulterated maple syrup samples were analyzed in a collaborative study. Results indicate that stable carbon isotope analysis can determine authenticity of maple products. Samples with δ13C values less negative than – 23.49%c (parts per thousand) can, with a high degree of confidence (95%), be classified as adulterated. The method has been adopted official first action.