Comparison of quantitative NMR and IRMS for the authentication of 'Polish Vodka'.

BACKGROUND: The production of 'Polish Vodka' is restricted by law to the ethyl alcohol of agricultural origins obtained from rye, wheat, barley, oat, triticale and potatoes grown on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The current labeling system should guarantee that the spirit is authentic and of good quality but not all producers are honest. Unfortunately, authentic 'Polish Vodka' is the most often counterfeited by the addition of cheaper and more accessible maize spirits. These illegal practices significantly reduce costs of the spirit production. Therefore, determination of the botanical origin of alcohol in Poland is highly relevant. RESULTS: Quantitative 2 H nuclear magnetic resonance and isotope ratio mass spectrometry were used to investigate the authenticity of 30 samples of Polish spirits. Several isotopic parameters were used to determine the botanical origin of 10 unknown samples. Both approaches led to the same conclusions regarding the percentage of maize-derived ethanol addition. CONCLUSIONS: Applied techniques are a valuable tool in the fight against counterfeiting of products. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.