Food Traceability and Security
Not All Alike: Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen Atoms
Take carbon dioxide and water. These molecules contain the fundamental building blocks of plants - carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. But not all atoms are alike. They come in different flavors called isotopes. For example, a carbon dioxide molecule may contain either carbon-13 or carbon-12. A water molecule contains deuterium or hydrogen and oxygen-16 or oxygen-18. Picarro analyzers can measure the different isotopes.
Tracing Isotopes Through Carbon Dioxide and Water
Plants uptake carbon dioxide and water molecules. Photosynthesis converts them into sugars and other complex compounds. Some of the water is stored in the cell structure. These processes embed a specific isotopic signature of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the plant. Those signatures are preserved and passed on through the food chain from plant to animal.
Heat Up One Drop Or One Crumb…
Picarro uses heat to break down the sugars and complex compounds and vaporize the water found in plant and animal tissue. The Picarro analyzer then measures carbon, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and detects the unique signature.
And, the Reading Gives You the Location
The isotopic signatures can identify where a plant or animal was grown, different types of plants, and where a beverage or food was produced. Field to factory to fork. Nature's barcodes.