Mono- and sesquiterpenoid fingerprinting: A powerful and streamlinedsolution for pine nut authentication

Abstract

This study proposes a novel authentication method for pine nut geographical and botanical origin, using mono- and sesquiterpene fingerprints (extracted ion chromatograms from specific ions) analysed via solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, combined with chemometrics (partial least squares – discriminant analysis). It was tested on 253 samples from China, Russia (major producers of Pinus koraiensis and Pinus sibirica), Spain and Turkey (supplying Pinus pinea), across harvest years. The method achieved 100% accuracy in external validation when distinguishing Spanish from non-Spanish pine nuts, and 99% accuracy in differentiating Pinus pinea samples from two distinct Spanish regions. This simple, affordable, and automatable approach proves effective as a screening tool that could be applied to support official controls. Pine nuts are highly valued worldwide, with their sensory and nutritional characteristics influenced by their species and origin, which affect their price and</p><p>make them vulnerable to counterfeiting.