Authenticity of fats and oils

Food authenticity has become a focal point attracting the attention of producers, consumers, and policy makers. Although in most cases adulteration of fats and oils does not pose a threat to public health, fundamental rights of consumers (right of correct information and buying “value-for-money”) are violated by fraudulent malpractice. Fraud is only economically viable, if a cheaper commodity can be made to resemble a genuine, more expensive product. The extent of adulteration that is possible is quite limited and, hence, the basic product that is being adulterated cannot be fundamentally different from the genuine material. Most methods to detect fraud rely on a thorough knowledge of the natural variation of characteristic constituents of the commodity concerned and make use of complex statistical procedures to derive indicators of adulteration. A range of analytical methods to detect fraud has to be developed, modified, and reappraised on a continuous basis to be a step ahead of those pursuing these illegal activities. In this article the technical merit of different analytical platforms to establish the authenticity of oils and fats is reviewed.