A non-targeted high-resolution mass spectrometry approach for the assessment of the geographical origin of durum wheat.

The assessment of durum wheat geographical origin is an important and emerging challenge, due to the added value that a claim of origin could provide to the raw material itself, and subsequently to the final products (i.e. pasta). Up to now, the typical approach presented in literature is the evaluation of different isotopic ratios of the elements, but other techniques could represent an interesting and even more powerful alternative. In this study, using a non-targeted high-resolution mass spectrometry approach, a selection of chemical markers related to the geographical origin of durum wheat was provided. Samples of the 2016 wheat campaign were used to set up the model and to select the markers, while samples from the 2018 campaign were used for model and markers validation. Including in the samples set different geographies across different continents, a discrimination through Italian, European and Not European samples is now possible.