Authentication of typical Italian bell pepper spices by ICP-OES multi-elemental analysis combined with SIMCA class modelling

Ground bell pepper is a spice used worldwide. The cultivation area has a significant influence on the chemical composition of this food product; consequently, its origin is closely linked to the organoleptic characteristics. This study is focused on the analysis of the mineral composition of two high-valued Italian ground bell peppers: the Senise PGI and the Altino varieties. Fifty samples of bell pepper spices from these two origins and 20 commercial samples were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), with the aim of quantifying thirteen elements: K, B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Sr and Zn. Eventually, the outcome of the ICP-OES analysis was handled by Soft Independent Modelling by Class Analogy (SIMCA) to characterize the two different products. Two individual SIMCA models were developed, one for each origin; both models achieved 100% of sensitivity and specificity in prediction.