Tracking the Mandorla di Avola Almond Variety by Means of ICP Analysis

The Mandorla di Avola is recognized all over the world as one of the best almond varieties. It is cultivated in a small area inside the provinces of Siracusa and Ragusa (Sicily, southern Italy). It is used in traditional Sicilian cuisine for both salty and sweet foods and of course in artisan pastry, apart from being consumed as a fruit. Due to its extraordinary organoleptic and beneficial features, the Mandorla di Avola is frequently counterfeit with almond varieties of lower quality coming from other countries. While its nutraceutical features have been studied, the possibility of authenticating it with respect to other varieties has not been explored. In this work, we used microelements determined with ICP-OES and ICP-MS as chemical descriptors to distinguish samples of Mandorla di Avola almonds from almonds coming from California and Spain, which are usually employed as substitutes in pastry. Among the different elements determined, Mn and P were found to be the best descriptors for authentication.