Chemometrics in Food Control Based on Elemental Analysis

This book presents an overview of chemometric assessments of analytical dataset in order to determine the authenticity/adulteration of food, animal and plant origin, including meat, fish, seafood, milk and dairy products, honey, cereals and grains, olive oils and oilseeds, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar, mineral and drinking water, and wines and other alcoholic beverages. The text uses modern analytical methods/techniques coupled with appropriate chemometric tools to demonstrate that chemometrics is a necessary and powerful tool for food analysis and its control. Another main concern is traceability, i.e. the possibility of verifying the geographical, animal/botanical and/or productive origin of a foodstuff; hence the use of chemometric techniques is not only recommended but essential. Since the food is characterized by a complex matrix, the strategy to study its elemental profile should be multivariate. The reported data are extensively tabulated and graphically presented. This book is useful for food chemists, quality control professionals, nutrition and public health educators, analytical chemists, food manufacturers, environmental scientists and students, and practicing professions in food chemistry and food safety.