Madridge J Anal Sci Instrum. ISSN: 2638-1532 109 Volume 4 • Issue 1 • 1000120 Madridge Journal of Analytical Sciences and Instrumentation Research Article Open Access Elemental Analysis of Indian Coffee Powder Samples using Hand Held X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer Mammen Denni 1 * and Daisy Joseph 2 1 School of Science, Navrachana University, Vadodara, India 2 Nuclear Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India Article Info *Corresponding author: Mammen Denni School of Science Navrachana University Vasana-Bhayli Road, Vadodara India E-mail: drdenni.mammen@gmail.com Received: July 30, 2019 Accepted: August 22, 2019 Published: August 30, 2019 Citation: Denni M, Joseph D. Elemental Analysis of Indian Coffee Powder Samples using Hand Held X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer. Madridge J Anal Sci Instrum. 2019; 4(1): 109-112. doi: 10.18689/mjai-1000120 Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Published by Madridge Publishers Abstract Elemental composition of ten samples of instant and roasted ground coffee powders available in markets of India have been analyzed using X-ray fluorescence technique. The samples were analyzed for thirty one elements, out of which major elements were K and Ca. Al, Fe, Ni, Mg, Mn, Sb, Sn and Zn were observed to be present in the smaller quantities. Nonmetals such as S, P and Si were detected in almost all the samples. The samples also showed presence of rare earth metals like W, Zr, Y, Ag, Sr, Rb, Nb and Mo. Toxic metals like Hg and As were not detected in any of the samples, while traces of Cd and Pb were found to be present in four samples each. With the absence of toxic elements coffee can be considered a safe beverage. Detection of radioactive elements U and Th in the coffee samples is an important finding of this research work. Results of elemental analysis of the analyzed coffee samples were correlated to the soil analysis data of their geographical origins. There have been good correlations between elements reported in the soil and those detected in the coffee samples. The motive of the research work is to bring out the goodness of coffee in terms of their elemental composition and also their variation with regard to their geographical origin. Keywords: Coffee powder; X-ray fluorescence; Trace elements; Toxic metals; Detection; Safety. Introduction Quality of coffee depends on number of factors such as variety, cultivation practices, processing, soil composition and climate. Content of elements depends mainly on the quality of soil and water in the coffee plantations. Elemental analysis of coffee beans has been performed by various techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). These techniques however require time consuming and cumbersome sample preparation procedures. Elemental analysis of solid samples of coffee has been directly analyzed using Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique [1]. Coffee cultivation requires use of fertilizers that can provide macronutrients and micronutrients for proper growth of the plants [2]. Organic fertilizers do not contribute to Cd and Pb content, but do contribute significantly to presence of Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn and Ni. There are significant differences between elements present in plants growing in artificially and naturally fertilized soils. Scientific evidence shows that there is a strong correlation between elements present in soil and in coffee beans [3,4]. Elements such as Ba, As, Tb, Gd, Ce, Co, Cr, Dy, Sc, V, Eu, Hf, La, Lu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sm, Sr, Ta, Cd, Ti, Tm, Th, U, and Yb are have not been detected in samples of roasted ground as well as instant coffee [5]. ISSN: 2638-1532