Establishment of methods for determining the geographical origin of crops (especially wasabi) using heavy metal stable isotope ratios as tracers

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K07966
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Agricultural environmental engineering/Agricultural information engineering
• Research Institution: Shizuoka Institute of Environment and Hygiene
• Principal Investigator: Kamitani Takafumi 静岡県環境衛生科学研究所, 環境科学部, 主査 (70520980)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 申 基チョル 総合地球環境学研究所, 研究基盤国際センター, 准教授 (50569283)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ストロンチウム / 重元素安定同位体比 / ワサビ / バレイショ / 産地判別 / 微量元素

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the usefulness of strontium stable isotope ratio for determining the geographical origin of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) which is specialty crops in Shizuoka Prefecture, concluding that isotope ratio values of wasabi allowed us to distinguish the production area clearly. We have also prepared strontium isotope ratio maps of surface water in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is applicable to identify the origin of various agricultural and fishery products. Although the isotope ratio values of of crops cultivated in the field are considered to be affected by precipitation and fertilizer, we could distinguish the producing areas of potatoes in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Free Research Field

環境科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

農産物の地域ブランド化の推進や輸出拡大、食の安心・安全を確保する上で、産地偽装対策は不可欠であり、効率的な産地判別手法の確立は重要な課題である。本研究で用いたストロンチウム安定同位体比は、同地点の作物と地域基盤の値がよく一致することが確認でき、強力な産地判別のツールとなり得ることが判明したため、産地偽装検査など実際の行政施策に活用できる。