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The isotope analysis described here, known as Stable Isotope Analysis, takes advantage of the fact that any organic material on earth is composed of chemical elements.
The elements constituting the major fraction of the biomass (which are hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur) are composed of more than one stable isotope. As a result, all plants, animals including ail their products and also human beings are naturally composed of isotopes.
Because of the continuous conversion in (local) biochemical cycles, the isotope composition of the bioelements varies from place to place. Since the biomass (of a living being like an animal or a plant) is made up of the material in the surrounding environment, the environment's isotope composition is reflected by the biomass, i.e. a product coming from a certain place may show a significantly distinguishable isotope composition when compared with the same product from another place.
Hence, any biomass, and therefore e.g. any food item, exhibits a - non radioactive - natural tag, which is the so called "isotope fingerprintn.
This fingerprint is not visible and it cannot even be altered by chemical additives or by processing. It enables to ensure the retraceability of organic material all the way back to its place of origin. Thus not only the country or region of origin can be determined, also the producing farm, ranch or company can be identified.
