Discrimination between Ascorbic Acid from Acerola and of Synthetic Origin by Measuring 13C and 18O Stable Isotope Ratios.

We examined the ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) of ascorbic acid from acerola and of synthetic origin. Although the obtained δ¹³C values were partially overlapping for the two species, δ¹⁸O values were higher for ascorbic acid from acerola, than values obtained for synthetic ascorbic acid. From this study, it was demonstrated that carbon and oxygen isotopic composition analysis can discriminate ascorbic acid from acerola from that of synthetic origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]