Abstract:To investigate differences in the inorganic element content and safety of insect tea from various production areas in Guangxi, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to determine the contents of 29 inorganic elements, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium, in insect tea from five major production areas in Guangxi (i.e., Sanjiang, Longsheng, Rong’an, Pingnan, and Wuzhou). Multiple statistical analyses were conducted, including variance analysis, Duncan’s multiple range test, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA), to analyze differences in the contents of inorganic elements in insect tea from different production areas. The results showed complex and diverse differences (P<0.05) in the contents of various inorganic elements in insect tea from different production areas. Correlation analysis revealed that some elements in Guangxi insect tea were significantly or extremely significantly correlated. Specifically, extremely significant positive correlations (P<0.01) were found between boron and potassium, calcium and titanium, and zinc and sodium. Significant positive correlations (P<0.05) were found between calcium and strontium, aluminum and copper, manganese and nickel, strontium and titanium, barium and boron, as well as barium and strontium. In contrast, significant negative correlations (P<0.05) were observed between magnesium and barium as well as magnesium and strontium. Through PCA, three principal components were extracted, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 93.26%. Multiple elements, including potassium and calcium, were determined to be the main characteristic elements contributing to the differences in the composition of inorganic elements in insect tea from different production areas. Based on the principal component score plot, five major production areas of insect tea were effectively distinguished. In terms of safety assessment, although the contents of heavy metals in the insect tea samples were not found to exceed the standards for tea, the contents of lead and chromium in insect tea from the Sanjiang production area were relatively high. These results provide a theoretical basis and data support for the origin identification, quality evaluation, and quality control of insect tea in Guangxi.
