Origin traceability and processing authenticity in brewing vinegars by GC- C- IRMS technique

Stable carbon isotope technique( δ13C) has been extensively utilized in food quality examination. In this study,δ13C of acetic acid,acquired from three synthetic glacial acetic acids,two edible acetic acids and fourteenth commercial vinegars were determined by gas chromatography- combustion- isotope ratio mass spectrometry( GC-C-IRMS).The results showed that δ13C from edible acetic acids were between-11.57‰ and-20.66‰ andδ13C of different synthetic glacial acetic acids were between-24.45‰ and-29.14‰ based on our measurements.δ13C of commercial vinegars made at Zhenjiang city was between-22‰ and-25‰,δ13C of commercial vinegars made at Shanxi province was between-13‰ and-20‰,while δ13C of white vinegars was from-14‰ and-25‰.So,this method could not only distinguish the δ13C between synthetic acetic acid and edible acetic acid from natural fermentation,but also could be applicable in authenticity and origin traceability of some vinegars.