Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Profile in Brazilian Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.)

Abstract

The Brazilian blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) production has made remarkable progress in developing quality and quantity. The price of the fruit for fresh and processing purposes is linked to its quality and origin. An effective method for authenticity control and traceability is the stable isotopes method. Carbon (13C) and oxygen (18O) of Brazilian blueberries have never been extensively explored. In this work, the results of 13C and 18O (performed by IRMS) of thirty blueberry samples were presented and discussed, being eleven different cultivars produced in the Southern Brazilian region from mountain and high-altitude. The blueberry showed the typical range of carbon isotopes for C3 plants, with significant differences between Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush. The δ13C and δ18O values showed a significant difference between a mountain and a high-altitude region. This study represents the first isotopic database for Brazilian blueberries, and it can be incorporated into a traceability system. In addition, these results can be used to verify the authenticity of the fruit composition declared on the label and as an effective tool for identifying the geographical origin.