Abstract BACKGROUND Apples have a leading role in the Italian fruit sector, and high‐quality apples, including the Golden Delicious variety, are cultivated mainly in the Northern mountain districts. In the present study, Golden Delicious apples from PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) cultivation districts were characterized according to their Sr isotope composition and compared with apples from other Northern Italian districts. RESULTS Apples collected in two consecutive years (2017 and 2018) confirmed the low annual variability of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio. The isotope ratio of apples was highly correlated with that of the soil extracts of the respective orchards. Statistical differences were highlighted between cultivation districts. However, because similar geological features characterized some areas, their ratios overlapped and a complete separation of the districts was not possible. CONCLUSION The 87Sr/86Sr ratio is an excellent marker for studies of food traceability because it retains the information about the place of origin. However, its strength is limited when comparing products from cultivation areas sharing similar geological features. In the perspective of geographical traceability, a multichemical characterization can overcome the limits of single‐parameter approach. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

中文翻译：

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意大利北部金冠苹果的 Sr 同位素组成反映了种植区土壤 87 Sr/86 Sr 的比例

摘要 背景苹果在意大利水果业中占有主导地位，包括金冠在内的优质苹果主要种植在北部山区。在本研究中，来自 PDO（受保护的原产地名称）和 PGI（受保护的地理标志）种植区的金冠苹果根据其 Sr 同位素组成进行了表征，并与来自意大利北部其他地区的苹果进行了比较。结果 连续两年（2017 年和 2018 年）收集的苹果证实了 87Sr/86Sr 比率的低年度变异性。苹果的同位素比率与各个果园的土壤提取物的同位素比率高度相关。栽培区之间的统计差异突出。但是，由于某些地区具有相似的地质特征，它们的比例重叠，不可能完全分离各区。结论 87Sr/86Sr 比率是食品可追溯性研究的极好标志，因为它保留了有关原产地的信息。但是，在比较具有相似地质特征的种植区的产品时，其优势是有限的。从地理溯源的角度来看，多化学表征可以克服单参数方法的局限性。© 2020 作者。John Wiley & Sons Ltd 代表化学工业协会出版的《食品和农业科学杂志》。结论 87Sr/86Sr 比率是食品可追溯性研究的极好标志，因为它保留了有关原产地的信息。但是，在比较具有相似地质特征的种植区的产品时，其优势是有限的。从地理溯源的角度来看，多化学表征可以克服单参数方法的局限性。© 2020 作者。John Wiley & Sons Ltd 代表化学工业协会出版的《食品和农业科学杂志》。结论 87Sr/86Sr 比率是食品可追溯性研究的极好标志，因为它保留了有关原产地的信息。但是，在比较具有相似地质特征的种植区的产品时，其优势是有限的。从地理溯源的角度来看，多化学表征可以克服单参数方法的局限性。© 2020 作者。John Wiley & Sons Ltd 代表化学工业协会出版的《食品和农业科学杂志》。