Determination of the geographical origin of green coffee by principal component analysis of carbon, nitrogen and boron stable isotope ratios.
In this study we show that the continental origin of coffee can be inferred on the basis of coupling the isotope ratios of several elements determined in green beans. The combination of the isotopic fingerprints of carbon, nitrogen and boron, used as integrated proxies for environmental conditions and agricultural practices, allows discrimination among the three continental areas producing coffee (Africa, Asia and America). In these continents there are countries producing 'specialty coffees', highly rated on the market that are sometimes mislabeled further on along the export-sale chain or mixed with cheaper coffees produced in other regions. By means of principal component analysis we were successful in identifying the continental origin of 88% of the samples analyzed. An intra-continent discrimination has not been possible at this stage of the study, but is planned in future work. Nonetheless, the approach using stable isotope ratios seems quite promising, and future development of this research is also discussed.
European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Physical and Chemical Exposure Unit, BEVABS, TP281, Via Fermi 2, 21020 Ispra, Italy. francesca.serra@jrc.it
Francesca
F
Serra
Claude G
CG
Guillou
Fabiano
F
Reniero
Luciano
L
Ballarin
Maria I
MI
Cantagallo
Michael
M
Wieser
Sundaram S
SS
Iyer
Károly
K
Héberger
Frank
F
Vanhaecke
D000349:Africa; D001208:Asia; D001895:Boron / Q000032:analysis*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D003069:Coffee / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D007554:Isotopes; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013020:South America
D003069:Coffee; D007554:Isotopes; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen; D001895:Boron