Authenticity of the Traditional Cypriot Spirit “Zivania” on the Basis of Metal Content Using a Combination of Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy and Statistical Analysis

Sixty-eight alcoholic beverages ranging in alcoholic degree between 40 and 55 from different countries
were analyzed for their 16 most abundant metal elements using inductively coupled plasma (ICP)
spectroscopy. The results were analyzed statistically using two different types of analytical methods: 
canonical discriminant analysis and classification binary trees. The aim of this study was to investigate
which of the metals analyzed constitute diagnostic parameters that establish authenticity of the
traditional Cypriot spirit zivania. The two statistical methods revealed that Mg, Zn, and Cu are promising
distinctive parameters capable of differentiating zivania from other spirits similar in alcoholic degree.
It is believed that this differentiation in metals between the alcoholic beverages examined is related
to the unique geological and climatic conditions existing on the island of Cyprus.
Keywords: Zivania; alcoholic beverage; metals; trace elements; classification