Elemental fingerprint profile of beer samples constructed using 14 elements determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS): multivariation analysis and potential application to forensic sample comparison.

Determination of elemental fingerprint profile of 40 commercial beer samples was performed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry combined with principal component analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Fourteen trace elements, (51)V, (52)Cr, (59)Co, (60)Ni, (75)As, (82)Se, (95)Mo, (111)Cd, (115)In, (121)Sb, (133)Cs, (208)Pb, (209)Bi, and (238)U, were monitored. All 40 beer samples are distinguishable by using the proposed method. ROC analysis showed that individual beer samples can be correctly identified via the magnitude of its correlation coefficient with respect to the other beers with low false positive rate. The obtained results suggested that the elemental fingerprint technique is feasible for sample differentiation and comparison.