Multivariate analysis of stable isotope data in the traceability process for birds

Isotope analysis has proved to be an extremely important tool in the traceability process; however, statistical analyses of the results show discrepancies, as the data depend on and originate from several chemical elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur (CHONS). In order to establish the proper analysis of traceability data for birds using the stable isotope technique and evaluate the need for a combined analysis of the variables, data for carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 were used from eggs (albumen + yolk) of laying hens and the pectoral muscle of broilers, which were subjected to univariate statistical analysis (ANOVA and complemented with Tukey's test) and multivariate statistical analysis (MANOVA and Discriminant Analysis). The data were analyzed using Minitab 16 software, and the results, corroborated in the theory, confirm the need for multivariate analysis, showing also that discriminant analysis clarifies questions from the results of the other analysis methods compared in this study.