Application of Multielement Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis to the Characterization of French, Italian, and Spanish Cheeses

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Abstract
The stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S of casein and δ13C and δ18O of glycerol) measured by IRMS of French, Italian, and Spanish cheeses are presented and discussed. Variability factors such as animal-feeding regimen, geographical origin, and climatic and seasonal conditions were studied to check the possibilities of cheese characterization offered by each isotopic parameter. δ13C values of both casein and glycerol appeared to be strongly correlated to the amount of maize in the animal diet. δ15N and δ34S of casein proved to be mostly influenced by the geoclimatic conditions of the area (aridity, closeness to the sea, altitude). δ18O of glycerol was more dependent on the geographical origin of the cheeses and on climatic/seasonal parameters. By applying a multivariate stepwise canonical discriminant analysis, good discrimination possibilities for the different European cheeses were obtained, confirmed by the classification analysis, when >90% of the samples were correctly reclassified. Keywords: PDO European cheeses; stable isotope ratios; geographical origin; animal-feeding regimen; statistical analysis