Discrimination of geographical origin of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) using geochemical elements combined with statistical analysis.

Beer is a popular alcoholic beverage worldwide, traditionally made from water, barley and hop (Humulus lupulus L.) strobili. The strobili contain lupulin glands whose components (mostly bitter acids and polyphenols) confer unique and locally different flavours to beer types. It is therefore relevant for brewers and consumers to precisely know the geographical origin of hop plants used for high-quality beer. Hop plants belonging to the variety Hallertau Perle, grown in two locations, Cavalese and Imèr, of the Trentino Region (Italy) were analysed to establish a direct relationship between the chemical elements detected in soil and in plant parts. Chemical elements were determined by X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in soil, leaf and strobili samples from Cavalese and Imèr. The data from the two areas were compared by a nonparametric test (Mann-Whitney) and multivariate statistics (principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis). The geochemical characterization and the statistical analyses showed different concentrations of major and trace elements in soil and plant parts from the two areas. A reliable correlation could be established between some elements in soil and strobili samples, that is Nb, Fe, Rb and Zr for Cavalese and Mg, Ni, Zn and Zr for Imèr. These elements could therefore be used as geochemical fingerprints to identify the geographical origin of strobili from the two study areas, an approach useful to verify the origin of hop plants for the production of high-quality beer.

Geographical origin of Vitis vinifera cv. Cannonau established by the index of bioaccumulation and translocation coefficients.

Geochemical fingerprints in grape require an identification of major and trace elements that show correlations between concentrations in soil and in plant tissues: these correlations are relevant to discriminate grapes according to geographical origin. The Vitis vinifera cultivar Cannonau is used to produce the renowned Italian controlled designation of origin (DOC) wine "Cannonau" from Sardinia. Two Cannonau vineyards located in Sardinia Region were studied to establish the relationship between geochemical features of vineyard soil and chemical composition of leaves and grape berries. Major and trace elements were determined by X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in soil, leaf, and grape berry samples. The index of bioaccumulation and the translocation coefficients were also calculated for all elements. Data from the two study areas were compared by a non-parametric test and multivariate statistics (principal component analysis). The results showed a specific assimilation of these elements in leaf and grape berry from vine in two different soils. Moreover, geochemical characterization and statistical analysis enabled to discriminate the cultivar "Cannonau" according to geographical origin. The results showed that the elements that could establish a reliable correlation between the soil vineyard and leaves and grape berries from the two study areas were B, Sr, and Zr. These elements may therefore be used as geochemical fingerprints to identify the geographic origin of V. vinifera cv. Cannonau in the two study areas.

Geochemical fingerprints of "Prosecco" wine based on major and trace elements.

The terroir can be defined as interactive ecosystem that includes climate, geology, soil and grapevine, and it is used to explain the hierarchy of high quality of wine. In order to understand the terroir functions, it is necessary to analyse the interactions among the geology, soil and wine. To define a geochemical fingerprint, the relationship between geochemistry of vineyard soil and chemical composition of wine from Veneto Italian Region was studied. The vineyards tested belonged to four distinct wineries located in the Veneto alluvial plain, included in the Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC) area of Prosecco. We investigated the relationship between major and trace elements in soil and their concentrations in Prosecco wine according to geographical origin. The detection of chemical composition in soil and wine were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and data were elaborated by nonparametric test and multivariate statistics Linear Discrimination Analysis. The geochemical and statistical analyses allowed to discriminate the vineyard soils according to geo-lithological characteristics of each area and to identify the geochemical "Prosecco" fingerprints, useful against fraudulent use of DOC wine labels.

Geochemical caper fingerprints as a tool for geographical origin identification.

The identification of geographical origin of food products is important for both consumers and producers to ensure quality and avoid label falsifications. The caper plant (Capparis spinosa L., Brassicales Capparidaceae), a xerophytic shrub common in the Mediterranean area, produces buds and fruits that are commercialized in brine at high price. Those grown in Italy in the Aeolian Islands are renowned for their high quality. This study is aimed to establish a correlation between the geological and geochemical features of soil and the chemical composition of caper buds grown in two Aeolian Islands, Lipari and Salina. Major and trace elements were investigated by X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in soil and caper samples from three localities in Lipari and Salina, and data from the three sites were compared by a nonparametric test, a correlation test and multivariate statistics (principal component analysis). The results allowed to discriminate soils according to geolithological characteristics of each area and detect a statistically significant correspondence between soil and caper samples for the elements Co, Fe, Mg and Rb, identifying thus possible geochemical caper fingerprints of origin. These results may also be useful to protect the high quality of Aeolian caper products by a suitable "Made in Italy" trademark and avoid falsifications and frauds.

Saharan dust particles in snow samples of Alps and Apennines during an exceptional event of transboundary air pollution.

Southern European countries are often affected in summer by transboundary air pollution from Saharan dust. However, very few studies deal with Saharan dust pollution at high altitudes in winter. In Italy, the exceptional event occurred on February 19, 2014, colored in red the entire mountain range (Alps and Apennines) and allowed to characterize the particulate matter deposited on snow from a morphological and chemical point of view. Snow samples were collected after this event in four areas in the Alps and one in the Apennines. The particulate matter of the melted snow samples was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These analyses confirmed the presence of Saharan dust particle components in all areas with similar percentages, supported also by the positive correlations between Mg-Ca, Al-Ca, Al-Mg, and Al-K in all samples.

Distribution of rare earth elements in soil and grape berries of Vitis vinifera cv. "Glera".

The renowned Vitis vinifera L. cultivar "Glera" (Magnoliopsida Vitaceae) has been grown for hundreds of years in the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli to produce the sparkling Prosecco wine, with controlled designation of origin (DOC). We evaluated the relationship among the concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) in soil and in "Glera" grape berries in vineyards belonging to five different localities in the Veneto alluvial plain, all included in the DOC area of Prosecco. The concentration of REE in samples of soil and juice or solid residues of grape berries was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and the index of bioaccumulation was calculated to define the specific assimilation of these elements from soil to grape berries. The concentration of REE in soil samples allowed an identification of each locality examined, and REE were mostly detected in solid grape berry residues in comparison to juice. These data may be useful to associate REE distribution in soil and grape berries to a specific geographical origin, in order to prevent fraudulent use of wine denomination labels.

Geochemical characterization of elements in Vitis vinifera cv. Negroamaro grape berries grown under different soil managements.

The present geochemical study concerns the impact of viticultural practices in the chemical composition of the grape cultivar "Negroamaro" in Apulia, a southern Italian region renowned for its quality wine. Three types of soil management (SM), two cover cropping with different mixtures, and a soil tillage were considered. For each SM, the vines were irrigated according to two irrigation levels. Chemical composition of soil and of berries of Vitis vinifera cultivar "Negroamaro" were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and multivariate statistics (linear discrimination analysis). In detail, we investigated major and trace elements behavior in the soil according to irrigation levels, the related index of bioaccumulation (BA) and the relationship between trace element concentration and soil management in "Negroamaro" grapes. The results indicate that soil management affects the mobility of major and trace elements. A specific assimilation of these elements in grapes from vines grown under different soil management was confirmed by BA. Multivariate statistics allowed to associate the vines to the type of soil management. This geochemical characterization of elements could be useful to develop fingerprints of vines of the cultivar "Negroamaro" according to soil management and geographical origin.

Chemical elements as fingerprints of geographical origin in cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. raised on the same SO4 rootstock.

The uptake of major and trace elements in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) can be influenced by soil, climate, geographic origin, and rootstock type. Rootstocks were mainly selected to resist phylloxera and for specific tolerance to lime, mineral uptake, drought, and salinity. The relationship among concentrations of major, trace, and rare earth elements was studied in soil and leaves from two Italian grapevine cultivars, "Cabernet Sauvignon" and "Corvina," employed to produce renowned controlled designation of origin (DOC) wines. The cultivars were raised on the same rootstock SO4 in two different areas of the Veneto Region (Northern Italy). The elements were studied by X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and data were elaborated by non-parametric tests and multivariate linear discrimination analysis. The related index of bioaccumulation was calculated to define the specific assimilation of the elements from soil to leaves. A statistically significant correspondence between soil and leaf samples was observed for Mg, Sm, V, and Zr. The results allowed to discriminate soil and leaf samples of the two cultivars according to geographical provenance, possibly providing geochemical markers (fingerprints) useful against fraudulent use of DOC wine labels.