Affiliation(s)
1. Nuclear Engineering Department, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
2. European Research Institute on Natural Ingredients (ERINI), Grasse 06131, France
ABSTRACT
Tartaric acid is naturally obtained from many fruits,
principally grapes. Several tartaric acid derivatives are commercialized, especially salts and
esters. They are usually applied in food, pharmaceutical and viniculture
industry. The rise in production of synthetic tartaric acid has increased the
production of synthetic derivatives consequently. Potassium bitartrate (KHT), also known as cream
of tartar, is an important derivative used in food and pharmaceutical
industries. At the moment there is no specific regulation for identification
and characterization of synthetic tartaric acid derivatives, it is exclusive
for naturals. In this study isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was applied in order
to discriminate KHT production method and geographical origin. The
measurements of δ2H, δ13C and δ18O were
performed by isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. A clear differentiation between
synthetic and natural samples is observed. However, the same was not observed
for classification regarding geographical origin. This is a promising technique
that combined with a larger database that could be applied in quality control
of KHT.
KEYWORDS
Tartaric acid derivatives, multi-isotope analysis,
KHT, isotopic mass spectrometry.
Cite this paper
References