Next Article in Journal
Dynamic Deterioration Pattern of Soybean Meal Contaminated by Fusarium graminearum
Previous Article in Journal
Metabolic Engineering of Probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii Enables Intestinal 3-Hydroxybutyrate Delivery and Alters Short-Chain Fatty Acid Profiles in Mice
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Foods
Volume 15
Issue 17
10.3390/foods15173008
foods-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Multi-Element Analysis of Sicilian Citrus Fruits from Volcanic and Non-Volcanic Areas for Geographical Authentication and Food Safety Assessment

by
Giuseppa Di Bella
1,
Vincenzo Nava
1,
Angela Giorgia Potortì
1,*,
Roberto Sturniolo
1,2 and
Vincenzo Lo Turco
1
1
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images (BIOMORF), University of Messina, Viale Palatucci 13, 98168 Messina, Italy
2
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences (CHIBIOFARAM), University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2026, 15(17), 3008; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15173008
Submission received: 17 July 2026 / Revised: 20 August 2026 / Accepted: 24 August 2026 / Published: 26 August 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Food Quality and Safety)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study investigated the elemental composition along the soil–plant continuum of Sicilian citrus fruits grown in volcanic (Stromboli and Etna) and non-volcanic (Marsala) areas. Following microwave-assisted acid digestion, macro- and trace elements were quantified via ICP-MS in soils, whole fruits, peel, pulp, and juice. Citrus fruits from volcanic areas generally showed higher concentrations of K, P, Fe, and Al than those from Marsala. Potentially toxic elements in edible fractions were generally low, with Pb and Cd below the applicable regulatory limits. Elemental partitioning showed higher measured concentrations of several potentially toxic elements in the peel, with lower concentrations in pulp and juice. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed separation of samples according to geographical origin, while Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) achieved complete classification within the investigated dataset, with K, Al, Mg, and Ni. These findings indicate that elemental fingerprinting may support geographical characterization, together with nutritional and toxicological assessment.
Keywords: citrus fruits; elemental fingerprint; volcanic soils; geographical characterization; food safety; chemometrics citrus fruits; elemental fingerprint; volcanic soils; geographical characterization; food safety; chemometrics

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Di Bella, G.; Nava, V.; Potortì, A.G.; Sturniolo, R.; Lo Turco, V. Multi-Element Analysis of Sicilian Citrus Fruits from Volcanic and Non-Volcanic Areas for Geographical Authentication and Food Safety Assessment. Foods 2026, 15, 3008. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15173008

AMA Style

Di Bella G, Nava V, Potortì AG, Sturniolo R, Lo Turco V. Multi-Element Analysis of Sicilian Citrus Fruits from Volcanic and Non-Volcanic Areas for Geographical Authentication and Food Safety Assessment. Foods. 2026; 15(17):3008. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15173008

Chicago/Turabian Style

Di Bella, Giuseppa, Vincenzo Nava, Angela Giorgia Potortì, Roberto Sturniolo, and Vincenzo Lo Turco. 2026. "Multi-Element Analysis of Sicilian Citrus Fruits from Volcanic and Non-Volcanic Areas for Geographical Authentication and Food Safety Assessment" Foods 15, no. 17: 3008. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15173008

APA Style

Di Bella, G., Nava, V., Potortì, A. G., Sturniolo, R., & Lo Turco, V. (2026). Multi-Element Analysis of Sicilian Citrus Fruits from Volcanic and Non-Volcanic Areas for Geographical Authentication and Food Safety Assessment. Foods, 15(17), 3008. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15173008

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop