Rapid authenticity assessment of Brazilian palm kernel oils by mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics

Abstract

Adulteration became a serious problem to food industries as it steadily spread across the globe in the past decades, affecting several food products, but especially vegetable oils. Palm kernel oil is a highly susceptible target for adulteration due to its exceptional characteristics and several applications. Hence, this study utilized gas chromatography with flame ionization detector, and direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics to assess the authenticity of seven Brazilian brands of palm kernel oil. Results indicated adulteration with at least 30% in all brands evaluated. Furthermore, presence of a different additive was verified for PKO1, PKO5, and PKO7. Thus, the association of direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis with pattern recognition methods proved to be an attractive candidate for fast routine analyses to identify adulteration in industries.