Stable isotope ratio analysis as a fast and simple method for identifying the origin of chitosan

Abstract Chitosan is used worldwide as a food supplement and it is normally obtained from animal exoskeleton, mainly crustaceans. Chitosan produced from animals reportedly causes allergic reactions, thus only the equivalent deriving from fungi is permitted in winemaking. The OIV has issued specific methods to identify the biological origin of chitosan but these proved to be laborious and time consuming. To evaluate whether stable isotope ratios analysis could be a quicker and more effective tool to identify chitosan from fungi and from other origins, the H, C, N and O isotopic ratios of 35 samples deriving from various biosynthetic pathways are here presented. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that δ13C and δ18O of the bulk samples were the most significant parameters (p