An FIA-MS Method for Rapid Coffee Adulteration Detection: A Comparative Study with a Non-Targeted LC-MS Approach.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectrometry

Background:

• Coffee adulteration poses economic and quality challenges in the food industry.
• Developing rapid and reliable detection methods is crucial for ensuring food authenticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a non-targeted flow injection analysis-mass spectrometry (FIA-MS) fingerprinting method for detecting common coffee adulterants.
• To assess the performance and practicality of FIA-MS compared to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 119 samples, including pure coffee and common adulterants (chicory, barley, flour).
• Utilized flow injection analysis-mass spectrometry (FIA-MS) coupled with chemometric analysis.
• Compared FIA-MS performance against non-targeted LC-MS and employed PLS regression for quantitative analysis.

Main Results:

• FIA-MS achieved over 95% accuracy in classifying pure and adulterated coffee samples.
• The FIA-MS method demonstrated comparable performance to LC-MS but with significantly faster analysis times and reduced solvent consumption.
• PLS regression showed low calibration and prediction errors, indicating reliable quantitative analysis.

Conclusions:

• FIA-MS is a practical, sustainable, and high-throughput method for detecting coffee adulteration.
• This technique offers a viable alternative to LC-MS for routine food safety screening.
• The study validates FIA-MS as an effective tool for ensuring coffee authenticity.