EGU24-9906, updated on 08 Mar 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-9906
EGU General Assembly 2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Unveiling geological identities: use of 87Sr/86Sr in food and beverages traceability, focusing on wines from Solopaca (Campania, Italy)

Piergiorgio Tranfa1, Valeria Di Renzo1, Francesco Izzo1, Alessio Langella1, Mariano Mercurio2, Vincenzo Mercurio3, Piergiulio Cappelletti1, and Massimo D'Antonio1
Piergiorgio Tranfa et al.
  • 1Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, DiSTAR, Italy (piergiorgio.tranfa@unina.it)
  • 2Università degli Studi del Sannio, DST, Italy
  • 3Le Ali di Mercurio s.r.l., Italy

Research on food and beverages traceability, i.e., assessing their environmental origin, has advanced significantly in recent years thanks in large part to strontium isotope geochemistry. The unique Sr isotope signature (87Sr/86Sr) found in soils, plants, and waters makes the relation between food/beverages and environment achievable. This signature is derived from the local geological substratum and is influenced by age and initial concentration of rubidium in the rocks, and to geological processes. The release of strontium ions from the bedrock due to weathering processes, resulting from the interaction of circulating fluids with rocks, contributes to the accumulation of Sr in waters and soils. Part of this Sr is bioavailable and its 87Sr/86Sr ratio can be used as a valid tracer to identify the region of origin of wines. Considering an original 87Sr/86Sr ratio in rocks and soil of a given locality, it is demonstrated that strontium is first absorbed by plant roots, then by grapes, and finally by wine, without isotopic fractionation. As a result, the analysis of the wine' Sr isotope ratio establishes a precise connection between the product and its geological provenance, giving each wine a unique geofingerprint. This study aims to verify the strong relationship between the product (wine) and its region by building on these foundations. The final objective is to make the wine recognizable and distinguishable from comparable products so that it can be protected from fraud and adulteration. Using the 87Sr/86Sr systematics, coupled with traditional analyses such as thermal, XRD and FTIR analyses, 24 samples (8 soil samples, 8 grape samples and 8 microvinification samples) from Solopaca (Campania, Italy) were investigated. In order to provide a thorough Sr-isotopic characterization, soil samples were analyzed for both total and bioavailable Sr fractions. This method improves the investigation of environmental processes at every stage of the wine-making process.

How to cite: Tranfa, P., Di Renzo, V., Izzo, F., Langella, A., Mercurio, M., Mercurio, V., Cappelletti, P., and D'Antonio, M.: Unveiling geological identities: use of 87Sr/86Sr in food and beverages traceability, focusing on wines from Solopaca (Campania, Italy), EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-9906, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-9906, 2024.