Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating02:48

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

41.8K
Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. The number of disintegrations per unit time is called the activity (A), which is directly proportional to the number of nuclei in the sample. The decay constant (λ) is an average probability of decay per nucleus in unit time.
41.8K
  1. Home
  3. Research Domains
  5. History, Heritage And Archaeology
  7. Historical Studies
  9. New Zealand History
  11. Tracing Old Carbon Sources In Hungarian Nectar Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis

Tracing old carbon sources in Hungarian nectar samples using radiocarbon analysis

Tamás Varga1,2, Zsófi Sajtos3, Botond Buró4

  • 1International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Bem square 18/c, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary. varga.tamas@atomki.hu.

Scientific Reports
|October 21, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids BPCA
08:12

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids BPCA

Published on: May 16, 2016

16.1K
PTR-ToF-MS Coupled with an Automated Sampling System and Tailored Data Analysis for Food Studies: Bioprocess Monitoring, Screening and Nose-space Analysis
08:43

PTR-ToF-MS Coupled with an Automated Sampling System and Tailored Data Analysis for Food Studies: Bioprocess Monitoring, Screening and Nose-space Analysis

Published on: May 11, 2017

12.9K
Profiling Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant Fruit using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
05:29

Profiling Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant Fruit using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Published on: June 9, 2021

4.3K

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Previous studies found discrepancies in honey

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Isotope Geochemistry
  • Food Science

Background:

  • Previous research indicated discrepancies between the radiocarbon (14C) age of honey and its collection date.
  • These honey studies revealed the presence of 'old carbon' (over five years) using bomb-peak radiocarbon dating.
  • The source of this age discrepancy in honey remained unidentified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cause of the 'old carbon' anomaly observed in honey.
  • To determine if nectar, the precursor to honey, also contains aged carbon.
  • To quantify the age of carbon in various nectar samples.

Main Methods:

  • Collected nectar samples from black locust, linden, phacelia, rapeseed, and apple in Hungary.
  • Determined carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C and 14C/12C) using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS).
Keywords:
Black locustMass spectrometryNectarRadiocarbon

Related Experiment Videos

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids BPCA
08:12

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids BPCA

Published on: May 16, 2016

16.1K
PTR-ToF-MS Coupled with an Automated Sampling System and Tailored Data Analysis for Food Studies: Bioprocess Monitoring, Screening and Nose-space Analysis
08:43

PTR-ToF-MS Coupled with an Automated Sampling System and Tailored Data Analysis for Food Studies: Bioprocess Monitoring, Screening and Nose-space Analysis

Published on: May 11, 2017

12.9K
Profiling Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant Fruit using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
05:29

Profiling Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant Fruit using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Published on: June 9, 2021

4.3K
  • Compared nectar results with international atmospheric 14CO₂ background data.

    • Main Results:

    • The study confirmed that nectar samples exhibit similar 'old carbon' anomalies as previously observed in honey.
    • Nectar samples contained carbon deposits aged up to three years, with some exceeding 60-70 years.
    • These are the first reported 14C/12C measurements for nectar.

    Conclusions:

    • The 'old carbon' anomaly found in honey is also present in nectar.
    • Soil or plant-stored aged carbon can enter the food chain via nectar.
    • This research provides crucial insights into carbon cycling and food source authenticity.
    Rapeseed
    Stable isotope
    Sunflower