PreprintArticleVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Time of Flight- Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) Coupled with Unsupervised Methods for Advanced Saffron Authenticity Screening: A Comprehensive Study
De Angelis, E.; Al-Ayoubi, O.; Pilolli, R.; Monaci, L.; Bejjani, A. Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Unsupervised Methods for Advanced Saffron Authenticity Screening. Foods2024, 13, 2033.
De Angelis, E.; Al-Ayoubi, O.; Pilolli, R.; Monaci, L.; Bejjani, A. Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Unsupervised Methods for Advanced Saffron Authenticity Screening. Foods 2024, 13, 2033.
De Angelis, E.; Al-Ayoubi, O.; Pilolli, R.; Monaci, L.; Bejjani, A. Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Unsupervised Methods for Advanced Saffron Authenticity Screening. Foods2024, 13, 2033.
De Angelis, E.; Al-Ayoubi, O.; Pilolli, R.; Monaci, L.; Bejjani, A. Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Unsupervised Methods for Advanced Saffron Authenticity Screening. Foods 2024, 13, 2033.
Abstract
Saffron, renowned for its aroma and flavor, is susceptible to adulteration due to its high value and demand. Current detection methods, including ISO standards, often fail to identify specific adulterants such as safflower or turmeric up to 20% (w/w). Therefore, the quest continues for robust screening methods using advanced techniques to tackle this persistent challenge in safeguarding saffron quality and authenticity. Advanced techniques like Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), with its molecular specificity and high sensitivity, offer promising solutions. Samples of pure saffron and saffron adulterated with safflower and turmeric at three levels of inclusion (5%, 10%, and 20%) were analyzed without prior treatment. Spectral analysis revealed distinct signatures for pure saffron, safflower, and turmeric. Through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), TOF-SIMS effectively discriminated between pure saffron and saffron adulterated with turmeric and safflower at different inclusion levels. The variation between the groups is attributed to the characteristic peaks of safflower and the amino group peaks and mineral peaks of saffron. Additionally, a study was conducted to demonstrate that semi-quantification of the level of safflower inclusion can be achieved from the normalized values of its characteristic peaks in the saffron matrix.
Keywords
Saffron; Safflower; Turmeric; Authenticity; Adulteration; TOF-SIMS; Mass spectrometry; innovative methods
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Food Chemistry
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.