Geographical origin identification, heavy metal contamination evaluation, and risk assessment of oysters from different regions based on multi-element fingerprinting

Oysters are one of the most important marine biological resources worldwide, with high nutritional and medicinal value. Enhancing the traceability of oyster products can provide crucial information to improve their quality and safety. Methods: This study focuses on oysters from three different production areas. Multi-element analysis was conducted to establish a multi-element fingerprint for oysters from various regions by ICP-MS. Combined with chemometric methods such as Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the study aims to trace the geographic origin of the oysters. Additionally, single-factor pollution index and the Nemerow Index were employed to assess the heavy metal contamination levels in oysters from different regions. Based on these findings, a risk assessment was conducted according to industry guidelines to evaluate the potential health risks to humans from consuming oysters from different production areas. Chemometric analysis revealed that oyster samples from different production areas clustered into distinct groups with significant difference. The elements Na, Rb, Sn, and Fe were identified as the primary factors responsible for these differences. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation of heavy metal contamination in oysters from various regions was conducted using both the single-factor pollution index method and the Nemerow composite index method, providing insight into their contamination levels. Based on these results, a risk assessment strategy was applied to evaluate the edible safety of the oysters. The findings indicated that, except for some oyster samples from the northeastern region, which posed certain health risks, oysters from other areas were found to have acceptable health risk levels. This approach effectively distinguishes the geographical origin of oysters and scientifically assess both heavy metal contamination and health risks, offering valuable strategies for the safety risk assessment of oysters and other traditional Chinese medicines.