Identification of Adulteration of Olive Oil with Other Edible Oils by LED-induced Fluorescence and Multivariate Calibration

Marilena Meira,Mariana A Santos,Cristina M Quintella,Saionara Luna,Erika Maria De Oliveira Ribeiro,Alexandre Lopes Del Cid

doi:10.5539/ijc.v6n4

Abstract

The most common adulterants found in extra-virgin olive oil are refined olive oil and other vegetable oils, such as sunflower, soybean, corn, and canola. In addition to constituting economic fraud, adulteration can cause serious damage to the health of the consumer. This study focuses on the detection and quantification of the adulteration of extra-virgin olive oil with edible oils, using spectrofluorimetry and chemometrics. The data were analyzed by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis. Through PCA, it was possible to separate the samples into two distinct areas, olive oil and other edible oils, based on their chemical composition. The PLS model, built with the spectra of mixtures of soybean oil in extra-virgin olive oil, exhibited an R 2 of 0.99412 and low RMSEP (Root Mean Square Error of Prediction) (3.59), RMSEC (Root Mean Square Error of Calibration) (2.32) and bias (4.77. 10 -7 ) values. Thus, the PLS model was considered exact for calibration and prediction.

Highlights

Olive oil is a type of oil produced from the fruit of the olive tree
This study focuses on the detection and quantification of the adulteration of extra-virgin olive oil with edible oils, using spectrofluorimetry and chemometrics
This study focuses on the detection and quantification of adulteration of extra-virgin olive oil with edible oils, using a combination of LED-induced spectrofluorimetry and chemometrics

Summary

Introduction

Olive oil is a type of oil produced from the fruit of the olive tree. The name “olive oil” can only be applied to pure oil obtained from olives, not to mixtures composed of this oil and other oils such as soybean or corn, which are generically known as oil compounds. The use of olive oil dates back millennia, but its exact origin is unknown. The Phoenicians, Syrians, and Armenians were the first people to consume olive oil, and it was introduced to Europe and the West by the Greeks and Romans. The consumption of olive oil was restricted to the Mediterranean, but in the sixteenth century, the Spaniards reported its use in the regions of South America, Central America, and the United States. There are records detailing the use of olive oil 5000 years ago by Mesopotamian peoples, who anointed their bodies with oil to protect themselves from extreme cold. In the Roman Empire, olive oil was used to soften skin and dry hair. Olive oil was the basis for many drugs (Oliva, 2011)

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