Interpretation of combined 2H SNIF/NMR and 13C SIRA/MS analyses of fruit juices to detect added sugar.
The site-specific natural isotopic fractionation studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF/NMR) method measures site-specific isotope contents in a variety of organic compounds by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This technique, together with SIRA/MS (stable isotope ratio analysis/mass spectrometry) provides a powerful tool for food authentication and characterization. By using the ethanol resulting from sugar fermentation as a molecular probe, SNIF/NMR (deuterium) and SIRA/MS (13C) have been used together for authentication of fruit juices. The influence of deuterium content of the fermentation water on the isotopic parameters is shown and a means for normalizing the results is proposed. A large number of authentic juices have been analyzed to define the variation of isotopic ratios in natural juices. On the basis of these data, a set of rules was designed to enable interpretation of isotopic parameters in terms of possible adulteration of fruit juices by sugar addition. Results of analyses of Florida orange juice are presented. Orange juice samples from Brazil and Israel are included as 2 extreme cases. Assignment limits for a sample of orange juice of unknown origin also are given. These assignment limits are also provided for apple and grapefruit juices.