Application of principal component analysis to the study of major cations and trace metals in fish from Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Abstract

Trace metals and major cations (Cu, Zn, Fe, Na, K, Ca and Mg) were determined in fish Chromis limbatus by flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The application of principal component analysis and factor analysis to the data matrix seems to discriminate between major cations and trace metals, accounting for 80% of the total variability. The plot of the scores of metals in the muscle samples on the first two principal components pointed out a differentiation of two groups belonging to different seasons. Cluster analysis (K-nearest neighbor) confirmed the separation between the two season's groups of samples.