Characterization of Vegetables by Stable Isotopic and Elemental Signatures

Abstract

109 Romanian parsley, celery and parsnip root, cucumber, vegetable marrow, onion, and pepper samples were characterized by their stable isotope ratios and elemental concentrations in comparison to imported varieties. Organic and conventional agriculture practices were also compared as well as a differentiation between eggplant and peppers grown in greenhouses and those in the field. δ2H values were between −70.8 and 5.6‰, while the δ18O values were between −9.0 and 4.1‰. The δ15N values for white onions were from 2.8 to 11.1‰. For Romanian organic onions, the carbon isotopic values were lower (−29.2 to −28.2‰) compared to conventional onions from other countries (−27.8‰ to −23.8%). Linear discriminant analysis was used to characterize agricultural practices and the geographic origin of the vegetables.