The δ13C and δ15N isotopic ratios are important in the investigation of food authenticity and fraud. Previous studies in Brazil on targeted foods revealed that many of them were adulterated; mislabelled or even fraudulent. Hence to improve future authenticity studies, Brazilian researchers have determined baseline values of δ13C and δ15N in 1245 food items and 374 beverages; most of them made in Brazil. The average δ13C and δ15N values of C3 plants, C4 plants, plant-based processed foods, meat (including beef, poultry, pork and lamb), meat products, and beverages (including beer and wine) are all given in the paper. Because cattle are grass fed, and chickens and pigs fed on soya and maize, C-C4 constitutes a large proportion of fresh meat, dairy products, as well as meat products. Also cane sugar and maize predominate as ingedients, and hence there is a large proportion of C-C4 in plant-based processed foods.
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