Application of Elemental Analysis via Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) for the Authentication of Maltese Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Abstract

Elemental analysis using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence on extra virgin olive oils and seed oils revealed the presence of two major concentration related clusters, one containing elements of pedological origin, whilst the other consisted of heavy metals. Seed oils were found to contain a higher concentration of titanium when compared to extra virgin olive oils, whilst extra virgin olive oils derived from the Maltese Islands had a significantly higher concentration of barium and phosphorus on using the Kruskal–Wallis one-way ANOVA (p-value < 0.05 for both elements). Application of stepwise linear canonical discriminate analysis proved to be highly superior to PCA, as it was able to distinguish between seed oils from extra virgin olive oils and distinguish between foreign and locally produced extra virgin olive oils.

The First Identification of the Uniqueness and Authentication of Maltese Extra Virgin Olive Oil Using 3D-Fluorescence Spectroscopy Coupled with Multi-Way Data Analysis

“…Whilst the 'Bidni' and 'Bajda' are monocultivars, the 'Malti' is thought to be made up of several ancient varieties which are geographically isolated from each other [22]. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that Maltese EVOOs have a significantly different phenolic composition and mineral composition [23,24]. In this study, a variety of olive oils selected from different areas around the Maltese islands and countries around the Mediterranean were studied.…”

Rapid and Accurate Approach for Honeybee Pollen Analysis Using ED-XRF and FTIR Spectroscopy

“…Additionally, many papers described ED-XRF as an accurate and rapid technique. ED-XRF has been already widely used for the verification of the geographical origin of olive oils [ 22 ] and different kinds of honey [ 23 ], the authentication and identification of drugs impurities [ 24 , 25 ], the elemental analysis of food products [ 12 , 26 ]. An analysis of the literature allowed us to find several drawbacks in previously conducted studies.…”

“…Therefore, the quantitative analysis was conducted based on the theoretically calculated fluorescent X-ray intensities. The obtained results may be treated as semi-quantitative [ 22 ] and can be used to compare pollen of different origins or collected in different seasons. In addition, the great advantage of the qual–quantitative method is the identification of the unknown elemental composition.…”

X‐Ray Techniques Dedicated to Materials Characterization in Cultural Heritage

“…Qualitative EDXRF analysis shows the spectral coverage of most elements present in the sample (atomic mass>13 in air atmosphere) at concentrations at the level of parts per million (ppm) by weight [24,25] . The EDXRF approach is not sensitive to lower‐Z elements in contrast to particle‐induced X‐ray emission (PIXE), which has a higher signal‐to‐noise ratio and fewer bremsstrahlung interactions, Rayleigh, and Compton scattering [26,27] .…”