Feasibility of Using Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS) for Geographic Origin Discrimination of Cumin Spice

Nine elements found in 24 cumin samples from China, India, Syria and Turkey were measured by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS) for the purpose of collecting data that could be used to discriminate among the origins. Pellets were prepared from the powdered samples and elemental abundances were measured. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) of this data was used to qualitatively differentiate the cumin from four different origins. This data was in agreement with that we obtained when calculating concentrations based on external calibration curves created using six National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards with 13C internal standardization. These curves were validated using NIST 1573a (tomato leaves) as a check standard. We highlight the usefulness of the information gained as well as its potential application to the analysis of trace evidence in a forensics laboratory.