Sample classification based on elemental fingerprinting: Introduction and practical guideline

Abstract

In various fields of modern science but also for routine applications in industry, food inspection, and health care, there is an increasing need to discriminate samples with differences in behavior or origin. At this point Analytical Chemistry plays a fundamental role since analysts have to be responsible for developing methodologies that allow the confirmation of provenance or authenticity, the detection of product adulteration and verifying their compliance with labeling. In recent years, much progress has been made in sample classification based on elemental fingerprinting techniques. To achieve this, elemental analysis is combined with multivariate statistical analysis of the obtained data to gain information about differences or variations within the investigated samples. In this short course, we will briefly present the concepts and approaches used for assessing elemental contents and provide an overview of common chemometric methods and their potential for sample classification. Finally, we will discuss some descriptive application examples from the fields of food analysis, geology, life sciences and material science.