Analytical problem-solving, reference materials, and multivariate quality control: A chemometrics approach

Summary Breakthroughs in sensor technology have augmented the chemist's measurement repertoire by introducing new kinds of detectors with improved selectivity and the capacity to perform simultaneous multi-species measurements. Thus, the electronic revolution has qualitatively and quantitatively changed the data matrices to which the analyst/problem-solver has access. The new chemical subdiscipline of chemometrics is developing powerful mathematical and statistical data analysis tools to exploit the electronic windfall and enhance data interpretation. Principal component analysis and graphical procedures have been used to examine the multivariate suitability of current reference materials in matching the concentration ranges and matrices for various food analyses. Principal component analysis has been useful in developing and exploring quality control information for the routine analysis laboratory.