Abstract
Rare earth elements (REEs) have been used for the identification of the geographical origins of an increasing number of foods. This study analyzed the effects of geographical origin, harvest season, variety, and their interactions on REEs in tea leaves to investigate whether REEs were suitable for geographical identification of tea leaves. Tea leaves of different varieties and the corresponding soils were collected in different seasons from different areas of China. The concentrations of 14 REEs in tea leaves and soils were determined, and then analyzed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multi-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, and linear discriminant analysis. All factors significantly affected the contents of REEs in tea leaves. The concentrations of REEs in tea leaves were related to those in provenance soils. However, the concentrations of most REEs in tea leaves were primarily affected by the harvest season. Seasonal variations should be considered when REE fingerprinting is applied for the identification of tea for authentication purposes. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
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