A preliminary Rancimat-based kinetic approach of detecting olive oil adulteration

Abstract

Temperature coefficients (TC and Q10 number) and the parameters of Arrhenius equation (frequency factor, A, and activation energy, Ea) and activated complex theory (enthalpy, ΔH++, and entropy, ΔS++) based on the oxidative stability indices (OSI, by Rancimat test at 100–130 °C) were used to detect the adulteration of olive (Zard and Roghani cultivars) oils with 10–30% of palm olein, PO, and sunflower oil, SO. An adulteration index, AI (h2), which encompassed the more pervasive parameters of maximum sensitivity to the presence of adulterating oils, comprised of the OSI at 100 °C and the values of A and Ea was developed. The AI for the unblended Zard and Roghani oils was calculated to be 18.9 and 26.5 h2, respectively. These quantities increased quite remarkably by adding the different levels of PO (Zard: 180–2247%, Roghani: 185–2146%) and SO (Zard: 1229–9343%, Roghani: 542–1401%).