Tag Archives: sunflower oil

Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

Olive Oil Detectives in the Lab

By Susanne Kuehne
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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Olive tree, food fraud
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database, owned and operated by Decernis, an advertiser in Food Safety Tech. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne

Canola oil, sunflower oil or soybean oil, colorants and low-quality olive oil, anyone? Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil adulteration is rampant, since the risk of getting caught is low and the profits are huge. A new expert-reviewed Laboratory Guidance Document on olive oil, published by the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP), lists a variety of laboratory methods at different levels of complexity, as well as the most common methods of adulteration. This Laboratory Guidance Document is an indispensable guide for regulatory and research personnel in the food, supplement and cosmetics industries.

Resource

  1. Mailer, R.J. and Gafner, S. (March 2021). “Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program Publishes Olive Oil Laboratory Guidance Document”. Botanical Adulterant Prevention Program.
Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

No Olive Branch for Olive Oil Fraudsters

By Susanne Kuehne
No Comments
Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Olive oil, food frau
Records involving fraud can be found in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne

Police in Germany caught 24 suspects who made millions of Euros with fake olive oil, and impounded an impressive 150,000 liters of the fraudulent product. In a factory in Southern Italy, mediocre sunflower and soybean oil was altered with coloring and sold as extra virgin olive oil, mainly in Germany. The facility operated under unhygienic conditions. Watch the police video in the article for an original view of the operations.

Resources

Frankfurter Allgemeine (May 14, 2019). “150000 Liter falsches Olivenoel beschlagnahmt”. Retrieved from https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/kriminalitaet/150-000-liter-gepantschtes-olivenoel-beschlagnahmt-16187012.html?GEPC=s5