Novel DART-MS approach for rapid and environmentally friendly determination of the geographical origin of hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.)

Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) is a novel method for the authentication of food and feed that represents a serious alternative to established methods. This study aims to analyze hazelnuts from different origins and identify potential marker metabolites using a high-resolution DART-MS platform and a non-targeted metabolomics approach. To investigate the suitability of DART-MS for authenticating the origin of foods with a high fat content, 172 hazelnut samples from 5 countries were analyzed. Data evaluation using principal component analysis (PCA) and Random Forest-based classification led to an accuracy of 93.2 %, demonstrating the high valence of the DART-MS approach for verifying the origin of hazelnuts. In addition, 16 marker metabolites were identified and revealed the importance of di- and triacylglycerols for the authentication of hazelnuts. These results demonstrate the high suitability of DART-MS based analysis as a rapid, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly approach for food authentication.