Identification of cultivation methods and the geographical origin of sweet pepper [Capsicum spp.] based on delta15N values and mineral contents
2010
Nakano, A., National Inst. of Vegetable and Tea Science, Taketoyo, Aichi (Japan) | Johkan, M. | Uehara, Y.
Sweet pepper ('paprika') cultivated using basal dressing or fertigation, and the chemical and organic fertigation treatments with different media produced different deltasup(15)N values. The deltasup(15)N of paprika after basal dressing with organic fertilizer was + 20.3permille, which is higher than that produced by chemical basal dressings (+8.2permille), whereas the deltasup(15)N of paprika produced by hydroponics in rock wool medium showed the lowest value (- 2.4permille) among the treatments, that was a similar value of the liquid chemical fertilizer itself (- 2.6permille). The deltasup(15)N value could therefore be an indicator of the type of cultivation (specifically, the kind of fertilizer or fertilization method). Paprika fruits with different geographical origins (Japan, Korea, and the Netherlands) were purchased at a supermarket, and we measured their deltasup(15)N values: +6.0permille for the Japanese fruits, versus +0.2permille for the Korean fruits and +3.1permille for the Dutch fruits. These values differed significantly among the groups, which suggests that the paprika was cultivated using different cultivation and fertilizer application methods in the three countries. We also analyzed twelve elements (P. K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Mo, Ti, Rb, and Sr) by means of ICP-AES and ICP-MS, and the Cu and Rb contents were most useful for distinguishing among Japanese and foreign products. Based on these results, compound analytical indicators will be required to guarantee the ability to more correctly identify and label agricultural products and foods.
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