Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

You Can’t Change Your Fingerprints

By Susanne Kuehne
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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis

A low-cost analytical method is introduced to verify place of origin for olive oil.

Olive Oil, food fraud
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In the European Union, extra virgin olive oils must be labeled with their geographical place of origin. The provenance of olive oil can now be verified with newly developed method involving the analysis of extracted sesquiterpene hydrocarbons via gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The method is highly precise and at the same time inexpensive. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons are found in many live organisms and show characteristics based on olive tree cultivars and where the trees are grown, leading to a precise olive oil origin fingerprint.

Resource

  1. de Andreis, P. (February 9, 2022). “Hydrocarbon Fingerprinting Helps E.U. Researchers Verify Olive Oil Provenance”. Olive Oil Times.

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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis

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