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Elemental Analysis of Amaranth, Chia, Sesame, Linen, and Quinoa Seeds by ICP-OES: Assessment of Classification by Chemometrics

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Abstract

In this work, 26 elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Pb, Rb, Se, Si, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) in seed samples: amaranth, chia, sesame, linen, and quinoa. Elemental analysis showed the presence of toxic elements (As, Cd, and Pb), as well as high mineral content (Fe, Na, P, K, and Mg): The concentrations of toxic elements were below the permissible limits by the WHO. Chemometrics was performed by cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). In all cases, a correct classification of each type of seed was obtained. The combination of elemental analysis (major, minor, and toxic elements) and chemometrics was useful to determine nutritional quality in the studied seeds, as well as to classify them according to the botanical origin. For that, this method can be useful for the analysis of raw material as quality control in food factories and government control labs.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCYT), Universidad Nacional de San Luis, and Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Argentina, that supported this research.

Conflict of Interest

Daniela Bolaños declares that she has no conflict of interest. Eduardo Jorge Marchevsky declares that he has no conflict of interest. José Manuel Camiña declares that he has no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Química de San Luis (INQUISAL), Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Chacabuco y Pedernera, 5700, San Luis, Argentina

    Daniela Bolaños & Eduardo J. Marchevsky

  2. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP), Mendoza 109, 6300, Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina

    José M. Camiña

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UNLPam), Av. Uruguay 151, 6300, Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina

    José M. Camiña

Authors
  1. Daniela Bolaños
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  2. Eduardo J. Marchevsky
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  3. José M. Camiña
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Correspondence to José M. Camiña.

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Bolaños, D., Marchevsky, E.J. & Camiña, J.M. Elemental Analysis of Amaranth, Chia, Sesame, Linen, and Quinoa Seeds by ICP-OES: Assessment of Classification by Chemometrics. Food Anal. Methods 9, 477–484 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-015-0217-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-015-0217-4

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