An application of fuzzy c-means clustering analysis to classification of tobaccos based on their rare earth elements contents

Eighty eight tobacco samples from six provinces in China, of which the contents of rare earth elements (REEs) were determined by microwave digestion-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. A fuzzy clustering method, fuzzy c-means (FCM), was used for classification of the different kinds of tobaccos based on their contents of REEs. The results show that FCM clustering analysis is a valid method for classification of tobaccos to some extent. The relationship between the contents of REEs in tobaccos and the geographical origins is also confirmed.