How Much Do Soil and Water Contribute to the Composition of Meat? A Case Study: Meat from Three Areas of Argentina

MARÍA VERÓNICA BARONI; NATALIA S. PODIO; RAÚL G. BADINI; MARCELA INGA; HÉCTOR A. OSTERA; MARIANA CAGNONI; ERNESTO GALLEGOS; EDUARDO GAUTIER; PILAR PERAL-GARCÍA; JURIAN HOOGEWERFF; DANIEL A. WUNDERLIN

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2011 vol. 59 p. 11117 - 11117

0021-8561

he main goal of this study was to propose a reliable method to verify the geographical origin of meat, establishing the influence of soil and water on its isotopic and elemental composition. Thus, beef meat, soil, and water samples were collected from three major cattle-producing regions of Argentina (Buenos Aires, C¨®rdoba, and Entre R¨ªos). Multielemental composition was determined on these three matrices by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), ¦Ä13C and ¦Ä15N by isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), and the 87Sr/86Sr ratio by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Soil and drinking water samples could be characterized and clearly differentiated by combining the isotopic ratios and elements, demonstrating differences in geology and climatic conditions of three regions. Similarly, meat originating at each sampling area was characterized and differentiated using only five key variables (Rb, Ca/Sr, ¦Ä13C,