Differentiation of different brands of alcoholic beverages by trace element profile: A pilot study.

A pilot study was conducted to differentiate various brands of alcoholic beverages commonly sold in Hyderabad city (Andhra Pradesh, India). Various brands of liquor were scanned up to parts per billion (PPB) level for more than 72 elements using the following method – Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The results obtained showed significant difference in the elemental profiles of various brands of liquor. Absence of some elements such as copper showed marker parameter for the liquor brands. This survey shows that trace elemental profiling could be a reliable method for differentiating various brands of liquor.