Specialty and high-quality coffee: discrimination through elemental characterization via ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and ICP-MS/MS of origin, species, and variety

Background: This study aimed to establish the elemental profiling and origin combined with the genetic asset of coffee samples collected from major coffee-producing countries. A total of 76 samples were analysed for 41 elements using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and inductively coupled plasma-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS). The mineral composition of the silver skin detachment during the roasting process was also evaluated to verify the loss of minerals during roasting, differences in composition with beans, and between species. Results: Application of linear discriminant analysis provided models with an accuracy of 93.3% for continents, 97.8% for countries of cultivation, and 100% for species. Discrimination between Arabica, Canephora coffee, and Eugenoides, and different varieties of Arabica species were identified in both models with calcium (Ca), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), rubidium (Rb), and strontium (Sr) as significant discriminant elements. Rb, Sr, sulphur (S), and thulium (Tm) were significant discriminant elements in both models for geographical distinction at different scales. Most of the elements had significantly higher values in silver skin than those in roasted coffee at different magnitudes, with exceptions of P and Rb. Conclusion: In summary, determination of mineral elements, processed by multivariate statistical analysis, was demonstrated to be discriminant for different coffee species. Linear discriminant analysis of the elemental analysis of samples from the seven major producing countries provided a reliable prediction model. Elemental analysis of major and minor elements is relatively easy and can be used together with other traceability systems and sensory evaluations to authenticate the origin of roasted coffee, different species, and varieties. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.