Gabriela Cristea

• PhD
• Researcher at National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies

Regarded as a panacea in non-traditional medicine, Spirulina (“Arthrospira platensis”) refers to cyanobacteria that are highly consumed due to their mineral and bioactive compounds. Despite its wide popularity and availability, Spirulina is often present on the market as an insufficiently regulated dietary supplement with scarce quality control and...

The ability to trace the origin of eggs from backyard-raised hens is important due to their higher market value compared to barn-raised eggs. This study aimed to differentiate eggs from these two rearing systems using isotopic, elemental, and fatty acid profiles of egg yolks. A total of 90 egg yolk samples were analyzed, analytical results being fo...

Establishing the provenance of eggs from backyard growing system of hens can be challenging, in the context of high-value commercial products (the price of an egg from backyard chicken rearing system is double comparing with one from barn rearing regime). In this study, 90 egg yolk samples were investigated from isotopic, elemental and fatty acids...

In this study, the fatty acids and elemental profiles of 53 pork cut samples were determined. To offer insights into their potential health implications, we computed 18 key nutritional indices. These indices included parameters such as saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), unsaturate...

Pigs are a primary source of meat, accounting for over 30% of global consumption. Consumers’ preferences are determined by health considerations, paying more attention to foodstuffs quality, animal welfare, place of origin, and swine feeding regime, and being willing to pay a higher price for a product from a certain geographical region. In this st...

Food composition issues represent an increasing concern nowadays, in the context of diverse food commodity varieties. The contents and types of fatty acids are a constant preoccupation among consumers because of their reflections of nutrition and health problems. This study aims to find the best tool for the rapid and reliable identification of sim...

Egg is a food product of high nutritional quality, extensively consumed worldwide. The objectives of this study were the determination of the elemental profile in eggs (egg white, yolk, and eggshell), the estimation of the non-carcinogenic health risk associated with the presence of heavy metals in investigated egg samples, and the development of s...

The isotopic content (δ¹³C, δ²H, δ¹⁸O) and concentrations of 30 elements (Li, Na, Mg, P, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Ba, Pb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, and Tb) were determined in different wild and cultivated berries (raspberry, seaberry, blackberry, cranberry, and blueberry). Partial least squares discriminant a...

The present study investigated the isotopic and elemental profile (by IRMS and ICP–MS) of edible egg parts (29 egg whites and 29 yolks) mainly collected from Romania. In order to differentiate the egg white and yolk coming from different hen rearing systems (backyard and barn), Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) models were develop...

In this study, the stable isotope, and elemental fingerprints of 120 meat samples were determined. The Partial Last Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) method was applied to build classification models for chicken and pork meat samples according to the geographical origin (different Romanian regions) and the animal growing system (animals coming...

The application of artificial intelligence for the development of recognition models for food and beverages differentiation has benefited from increasing attention in recent years. For this scope, different machine learning (ML) algorithms were used in order to find the most suitable model for a certain purpose. In the present work, three ML algori...

BACKGROUND The spirit drinks industry is one of the largest in the world. Fruit distillates require adequate analysis methods combined with statistical tools to build differentiation models, according to distinct criteria (geographical and botanical origin, producer's fingerprint, respectively). Over time a database of alcoholic beverage fingerprin...

Anoxic marine sediments at the confluence with large rivers are key archives for monitoring the anthropogenic impact in the environment and asses the carbon sink character of oxygen deprived waters. This data article describes the analysis methodology and the results of the deep-sea sediments sampled from the NW part of the Black Sea, using the ¹⁴C...

In this study 93 pork meat samples (tenderloin) were analyzed via isotope ratios mass spectrometry (δ²H, δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) and inductively coupled plasma – Mass spectrometry (55 elements). The meat samples are coming from Romania and abroad. Those from Romania are originating from conventional farms and yard rearing system. The analytical results in conj...

Botanical differentiation of four floral honey types based on isotopic and elemental content coupled with partial least squares—discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was performed in the present work. In order to enhance the discrimination potential of this approach, an advanced pre-processing step was applied. For data pre-processing, a comparison betwee...

We constructed a high-resolution Bayesian sedimentation model spanning the last 5500 years based on 25 AMS radiocarbon dated sediments of bulk organic matter (OM) sampled from the NW Black Sea anoxic waters of the continental slope. The corrections for the ¹⁴C ages due to marine reservoir effect (MRE) and detritus organic carbon are correlated with...

The potential association between stable isotope ratios of light elements and mineral content, in conjunction with unsupervised and supervised statistical methods, for differentiation of spirits, with respect to some previously defined criteria, is reviewed in this work. Thus, based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA), it was possible to differen...

The present work aims to test the potential of the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for food authentication. For this purpose, honey was chosen as the working matrix. The samples were originated from two countries: Romania (50) and France (53), having as floral origins: acacia, linden, honeydew, colza, galium verum, coriander, sunfl...

Wine data are usually characterized by high variability, in terms of compounds and concentration ranges. Chemometric methods can be efficiently used to extract and exploit the meaningful information contained in such data. Therefore, the fuzzy divisive hierarchical associative-clustering (FDHAC) method was efficiently applied in this study, for the...

The research towards the identification of new authenticity markers is crucial to fight against fraudulent activities on honey, one of the top ten most falsified food commodities. This work proposes an association of stable isotopes and elemental content as markers for honey authentication, with respect to its floral and geographical origin. Emergi...

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to oils consumed by humans. The human body uses oils in the diet for three purposes: energy source, structural component and powerful biological regulators. Elemental profiling of macro-, essential elements constitutes an important tool for quality control in terms of nutritional values of these p...

The unraveling of the geological processes, which are recorded in the chemical and isotopic fingerprinting of the deep-sea sediments, demands the introduction of a sensitive parameter over time. The aim of this study is to analyze the deep-sea sediments from the Black Sea, using the stable isotopic and elemental content. For this purpose, 41 sedime...

Twenty-five samples, consisting of 15 commercial juices and 10 directly pressed orange and apple juice samples were analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The isotopic results showed that most of the commercial fruit juices were made from concentrate by re-dilution with water...

In this study, three chemometric models for vegetables growing system (field versus greenhouse), geographical origin and species attribution using stable isotope (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, δ²H) and elemental fingerprints of 101 samples (54 squashes and 47 radishes) commercialized on Romanian market were developed. These models were constructed and validated thro...

Environmental context Rare earth element profiles of foodstuffs reflect both the soil fingerprint and the specific agricultural practice for a certain location. This review describes the advantages and limitations of using rare earth elements as markers for geographical discrimination as a function of food matrix. The technique has great potential...

There is a growing interest by both consumers and industry in the development of food products with functional properties or health benefits. These food supplements are especially important for infants; thus their safety must be guaranteed. However, the use of different raw materials, process technologies, and storage technologies may impact food q...

The present study proposed the cheese differentiation, according to geographical production area and with respect to species (cow, sheep) of two traditional cheese specialties, (salty and ripened), produced in Transylvania, Romania. For this purpose, the elemental profile and carbon isotopic ratios (¹³C/¹²C) of cheese and extracted casein were corr...

This study investigated the accumulation of macro-, micro-, and toxic elements in Phaseolus vulgaris tissues, including pods, leaves, stems, and roots, as a function of the isotopic composition of irrigation water. The novelty of the paper consists of the simulation of environmental conditions by varying the isotopic content of the water to verify...

Thirty-two bottled and canned cider samples, purchased from Romanian market, were analyzed for their stable isotope ratios and elemental profiles to verify their authenticity. The determination of δ¹⁸O values of water from ciders for the detection of exogenous water and the determination of δ¹³C from ethanol and dry substance used to evaluate the a...

Edible mushrooms represent a food product highly appreciated in the culinary arts. In this study, 12 species of edible mushrooms from the spontaneous flora of Transylvania, totaling 89 samples, were investigated for stable (²H/¹H, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C) in order to isotopic fingerprinting these plants. The sampling period was 2015 to 2016. The isotop...

This study proposes different markers associations for the discrimination of organically and conventionally grown carrots, as well as for the geographical origin differentiation. It was shown that one of the most powerful differentiation markers proved to be Mn content. Along with manganese concentrations, isotope ratios of nitrogen and a high numb...

109 Romanian parsley, celery and parsnip root, cucumber, vegetable marrow, onion, and pepper samples were characterized by their stable isotope ratios and elemental concentrations in comparison to imported varieties. Organic and conventional agriculture practices were also compared, as well as a differentiation between eggplant and peppers grown in...

The ¹³C stable isotopic composition of 38 pharmaceutical products was investigated for ibuprofen, diclofenac, paracetamol, metamizole, ketoprofene, and combinations containing paracetamol in order to evaluate differences between manufacturrs and production batches. Complementary measurements were performed by inductively coupled plasma – mass spect...

Stable isotope ratios analyses (SIRAs) are intensively used in studies concerning food authenticity control. The use of stable isotope ratios in this domain allows both the establishment of geographic authenticity of foodstuffs and also identification of food adulteration with cheaper ingredients. Photosynthetic CO2 assimilation via the C3, C4 and...

This work proposed marker associations for the differentiation of some organic vegetable types (salads, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbages, garlic and leek) from vegetables obtained through conventional agricultural practices. For this purpose, a number of 30 organic and 15 conventional vegetables samples were analyzed from isotopic and elemental point o...

Twenty-three commercial orange juice varieties were characterized on the bases of isotopic, elemental, and volatile organic concentrations. One goal of this study was to evaluate the authenticity of the samples by the determination of exogenous water and sugar. Volatile organics and elemental profiles were determined to evaluate the nutritional qua...

Coffee prepared from ground roasted coffee beans or from soluble powder is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Moreover, coffee is acknowledged as a rich source of elements, including those essential to human health, as well as nonessential and toxic elements. Therefore, determination of the total concentration of elements in co...

Isotopic (δD, δ13C, and δ18O) and metal concentrations are reported for leave, nervure, stems, and roots of N. tabacum grown in three parcels differentiated by the isotopic composition of irrigated water (deuterium enriched water, tap water, and deuterium depleted water). A linear correlation was observed between isotopic values (δD and δ18O) of wa...

This paper reports a study concerning isotopic ratios (18O/16O) of 27 commercial red wine samples from different areas of Romania produced during 2006, 2007, and 2008. The metal concentrations of the investigated samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The goal of this study was to analyze and characterize...

The main goal of this study was to use stable carbon isotopic composition of bulk peat sampled in Tăul Mare-Bardău peat bog, Maramureş Mountains, as a tool to provide paleoclimatic information over the middle and late Holocene in this region. A peat core of 3.60 m was sampled for δ13C analysis, and bulk peat samples were analyzed by isotope ratio m...

In this study, commercial fruit juices present on Romanian market were investigated, by mean of stable isotopes, in order to check their correct labeling. In order to detect the sugar addition, to investigated fruit juices, δ13C values of: whole juice, pulp and sugars were determined. Beside these, δ18O and δ2H values of fruit juices water were mea...

Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) is an effective toll to be used for drug product authentication. The isotopic composition could be used to assist in the differentiation between batches of drugs and assist in the identification of counterfeit materials on the market. Only two factors affect the isotopic ratios in pharmaceutical components: t...

Product origin is of great importance for consumers especially because its association in consumer's perception with food quality, freedom from disease or pollution. Stable isotope ratio analysis is a powerful technique in food authenticity and traceability control which has been introduced within the European wine industry to ensure authenticity o...

Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) were used in this study to trace heavy metal and isotopic content of soil into the fruit juices. This work presents a preliminary study on the carbon isotope signature and trace metal content investigated on the soil-plant-fruit pulp chain. The samples...

This paper presents a study concerning the isotopic fingerprint ((18)O and (13)C) of some wines prepared from relevant Romanian grape varieties (e.g. Feteasca Alba (FA), Feteasca Regala (FR) and Cabernet Sauvignon (CS)) obtained in different vintage years (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008). These wines were obtained from different vineyards having a...

The main goal of this study is to provide the scientific data and analysis to reduce contributions to atmospheric carbon dioxide. To achieve this goal we have studied the mechanisms controlling carbon release by gasoline combustion, natural gas combustion and biogenic respiration of plants on CO2 mixing ratio in an urban area of Cluj Napoca city, R...

Stable isotopes are now increasingly used for the control of the geographical origin or authenticity of food products. The falsification may be more or less sophisticated and its sophistication as well as its costs increases with the improvement of analytical methods. In this study 22 vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, palm, maize) commercialized on...

This work presents a preliminary study on the carbon isotope signature and trace metal content investigated on the soil-plant-fruit pulp chain. The samples were collected from two Transylvanian areas namely Alba and Salaj. The average value of the δ13C at the soil surface was around δ13C ~ -27%º and important differences of the δ13C values between...

The application of oxygen isotope ratios analysis to wine water according to EU regulation no. 822/97 to determine wine's origin and also, the possible water addition to wines, gained great importance in wines authenticity control. In the natural cycle of water isotopic fractionation, during water evaporation process, the water vapors are depl...

In the last years, a growing number of research articles detailing the use of natural abundance light stable isotopes variations and trace metal elements concentration as geographic ``tracers'' to determine the provenance of food have been published. These investigations exploit the systematic global variations of stable hydrogen, oxygen and carbon...

12 Romanian samples of honeys from different floral sources were analyzed for the determination of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) adulteration of honey, by coupling an isotope ratio mass spectrometer to an elemental analyzer. Using the difference in stable carbon isotope ratio (δ 13C) between honey and its protein fraction it is possible to evalua...

Estimation of the relationship between carbon isotope discrimination (Δ 13 C) in perennial fodder plants and various factors such as climate, fertilization and soil could contribute to a better selection and/or improvement of genotype of fodder species. Theoretical models of carbon isotope discrimination in plants indicate a linear relationship bet...

An experimental study on (14)N and (15)N simultaneous separation using the chemical exchange in NO, NO(2)-HNO(3) system under pressure is presented. The influence of the pressure and of the interstage 10 M HNO(3) flow rate on the separation of (14)N and (15)N was measured on a packed column with product and waste refluxers. At steady state and 1.8...

The Eastern Carpathians contain many mineral water springs that feed famous Romanian health resorts such as Borsec, Biborteni and Vatra Dornei. These waters have been used for their different therapeutic effects. In this work, mineral and spring waters from these Romanian regions were investigated by means of chemical and isotopic (deltaD and delta...

This preliminary study was designed to determine the extent to which the carbon isotope ratio in four species of lichens was influenced by such features as humidity, rainfall, radioactivity, and air quality. The sampling sites were selected to be at a great distance from any pollution. At the time of sampling, field data (temperature, relative humi...

A batch of electrolysis cells was developed for tritium in water samples enrichment by at least a factor 10. The cell batch is controlled by a pre-programmable electronic system that interrupts the current through any cell when the planned electrolyte volume is attained. A starting and a final distillation of water samples are carried out before an...

A batch of electrolysis cells was developed for tritium in water samples enrichment by at least a factor 10. The cell batch is controlled by a pre-programmable electronic system that interrupts the current through any cell when the planned electrolyte volume is attained. A starting and a final distillation of water samples are carried out before an...

Analysis of the stable isotope composition of the mineral waters from Someseni, Transylvanian Basin, Romania has been made to constrain their origin. The mineral-rich aquifer is located on the western border of the Neogene Transylvanian Basin. The isotopic study (18O, D) of mineral waters from Someseni Spa was carried in order to rehabilitate them...

The metabolism of 13 C -labeled substrates to CO 2 and the measurement by mass spectrometry of the appearance of excess 13 C in respiratory CO 2 can be used as probes for a variety of gastrointestinal and physiological functions as well as for ulcers and other digestive diseases. In a 13 C Urea Breth Test, 13 C-labelled is given orally and, if Heli...