Discrimination of olive oil adulterated with vegetable oils using dielectric spectroscopy (CAT#: STEM-ST-0364-WXH)

Introduction

Adulteration of edible oils is generally blended cheaper or lower quality oil to premium oil such as extra-virgin olive oil. It was reported that in Italy seven olive oil plants were closed for allegedly adding sunflower and soybean oil to olive oil and selling it as extra-virgin olive oil in Italy and abroad. Some 25,000 litres of fake olive oil were confiscated that sunflower oil was mixed with chlorophyll and beta-carotene to give it olive oil’s characteristic colour.1 It is estimated that in the European Union 4 million Euros per year are lost because of this adulteration. It is not only a major economic fraud but can also have major healthy implications for consumers. In 1998, the consumption of fake cooking oil (mustard oil) led to cases of dropsy and more than forty people died and hundreds were admitted to hospitals in India.2 Therefore, detection of edible oil adulteration is of vital important in food quality, safety control and vegetable oil product trade.