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In 42 alcoholic beverages produced in Cyprus and other countries, 26 chemical and physical-chemical variables were determined by HPLC and GC chromatography, (1)H NMR and ICP spectroscopy, and other techniques. Data were processed using multivariate chemometric techniques, involving principal component analysis, cluster analysis, regularized discriminant analysis, and classification and regression trees. Zivania can be differentiated from beverages from other countries. Using 2- and 3-methyl-butanol, 2-methyl-propanol, furfural, methanol, and the alcoholic grade and the chemical shift of -CH(3) in (1)H NMR spectra as features, a nearly correct classification for zivania was achieved. The reasons for diversions are given.

A previous publication (Kokkinofta et al. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2003, 51, 6233-6239) discussed the use of inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy to differentiate between the traditional Cypriot alcoholic beverage zivania and other spirits similar in alcoholic content collected from different countries. In the present paper (1)H NMR spectroscopy is applied to confirm the previous conclusions and to obtain additional physical-chemical characteristics that may be used to differentiate zivania from other similar beverages. NMR spectroscopy gave a satisfactory degree of prediction and classification between zivanias and other distillings. The validity of quantification of the method was tested using comparative GC data. It appears that chemical analysis can be very helpful for identifying the unique geological and climatic conditions existing in the island of Cyprus that lead to an authentic product.

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.