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Tea geographical origin explained by LIBS elemental profile combined to isotopic information
Nadia Baskali-Bouregaa1, Marie-Laure Milliand1, Sophie Mauffrey1
1Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques, ISA UMR 5280, France.
Talanta
|February 20, 2020
Summary
This study uses Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (ICP HRMS) to determine the geographical origin of tea. The combined elemental analysis achieved 94.2% accuracy in identifying tea samples.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Spectroscopy
- Chemometrics
Background:
- Geographical origin significantly impacts tea quality and market value.
- Accurate authentication of tea origin is crucial for consumer trust and regulatory compliance.
- Elemental profiling offers a promising approach for geographical traceability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method for identifying the geographical origin of tea using combined LIBS and ICP HRMS.
- To assess the effectiveness of chemometric techniques in classifying tea samples based on elemental signatures.
- To explore the potential of isotopic ratios in enhancing classification accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 13 tea samples using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (ICP HRMS).
- Application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for data exploration.
- Utilisation of Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Factorial Discriminant Analysis (FDA) for classification.
- Variable selection and incorporation of the 11B/10B isotopic ratio to optimize the model.
Main Results:
- Selected elemental lines, including alkaline earth metals (Ba, Ca, Mg, Sr) and alkaline metals (Rb, Na), along with minor elements (P, S, Fe, B), effectively discriminated between sample groups.
- A five-cluster model achieved a 94.2% correct identification rate in cross-validation.
- The method successfully identified the geographical origin of four previously unknown tea samples.
Conclusions:
- The combined LIBS and ICP HRMS approach, coupled with chemometric analysis (PCA followed by FDA or PLS-DA), provides a robust and accurate method for tea geographical origin identification.
- Elemental signatures, particularly specific element lines and isotopic ratios, are powerful indicators of tea provenance.
- This technique offers a reliable tool for fast classification and authentication of tea samples.
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