Advancing Stable Isotope Analysis for Alcoholic Beverages' Authenticity: Novel Approaches in Fraud Detection and...

Alcoholic beverages have been popular for thousands of years due to their unique flavors and cultural significance. However, the industry's high profit margins have led to increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting practices. Stable isotope analysis has emerged as one of the most promising techniques for addressing authenticity and traceability challenges in alcoholic beverages. Scope and approach: This review presents a comprehensive summary of the principles and recent advancements in the application of stable isotope techniques for authenticity assessment. It examines their use in detecting fraud (e.g., identifying edible alcohol, exogenous water, carbonylation, and trace compounds), vintage identification, and geographical origin determination across various alcoholic beverages, with a particular focus on wine, Chinese baijiu, and beer.

Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for verifying the authenticity of alcoholic beverages, offering effective solutions to combat counterfeiting, mislabeling, and adulteration. Future studies should focus on understanding the ecological, biological, and hydrometeorological factors influencing isotope signatures and develop advanced multi-isotope and chemometric approaches to improve reliability. Expanding global databases and integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will further enhance the effectiveness and accessibility of stable isotope techniques, ensuring safer and higher-quality alcoholic beverages for consumers worldwide.