Saudi Scientists Unmask Olive Oil Fraud

TDT | Manama

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There’s hope for consumers worried about olive oil fraud, as researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have invented a fast, easy method to detect adulteration in any bottle.

Intentional mislabeling or dilution of olive oil with other products robs consumers of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits they believe they are paying for. The integrity of the olive oil industry has been brought into question this year, with the European Union reporting a record high of fraud cases, and consumers doubting the quality of their purchase.

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have joined forces to create a method that can identify and quantify the adulterants in olive oil.  This innovative method, which can be read in Food Control, is based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and offers assurance to consumers that the olive oil sold on supermarket shelves is indeed what the label claims.

The global olive oil market was estimated to be worth over $14 billion last year, a value that is expected to exceed $20 billion in 10 years. As one of the largest importers of olive oil in the world, Saudi Arabia is a major consumer. Olive oil is a key feature of many Middle Eastern dishes and frequently used for its health benefits. However, global shortages of the product, alongside an increase in counterfeit practices has led to consumers in other regions like Spain and Italy looking for cheaper alternatives.

As part of its mandate, the SFDA is dedicated to ensuring food safety for the Saudi public. It has been investigating new analytical methods to evaluate olive oil and has selected KAUST as an invaluable partner in this endeavor.

“KAUST was chosen due to their expertise in advanced analytical techniques, specifically high-resolution NMR spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis, which enhances the detection capabilities for identifying various vegetable oils mixed with olive oil,” explained Dr. Hibah Alharbi, scientist at the SFDA’s Reference Laboratories and initiator of the collaboration with KAUST.

“The collaboration between the SFDA and KAUST enhances knowledge transfer between the two organizations and aims to improve food quality and safety,” she continued, “This partnership is dedicated to maintaining the health and safety of citizens and promoting public health by establishing the highest standards for food quality and safety through the development of tests and analytical capabilities for laboratories.”

“The joint project, titled ‘The Detection of Adulteration of Olive Oil with Various Vegetable Oils,’ reflects the SFDA's commitment to strengthen the food quality and safety standards in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia. This research partnership was carried out between the Reference Laboratories, represented by the Food Chemistry Reference Laboratory, in cooperation with KAUST.”

KAUST houses the most comprehensive suite of NMR machines in the Kingdom. KAUST is the leading university for any project that needs to research, for example, individual molecules in a chemical sample for a study on drug design, in a water sample for a study on pollutants, and in a food sample in a study on purity.

NMR machines operate by creating magnetic fields. Using these fields and common multivariate statistical techniques, Dr. Alharbi and her KAUST colleagues were able to measure each adulterant and its amount in samples of olive oil. The strength of the magnetic field gave extraordinary resolution so that normally undetectable levels of adulterants were discovered.

Besides its extraordinary accuracy, NMR has other advantages for the study of olive oil. The samples are easy to prepare, saving much time and labor and therefore cost compared with standard analytical instruments used by industry. The sample is also not destroyed, which benefits efforts to standardize olive oil quality.

The two organizations are considering expanding the project to detect microplastics and other contaminants in edible oils.

“We share our NMR facilities with organizations across the country that are studying priorities of the Kingdom. Our work with the SFDA is an excellent example of how we can improve food quality and the overall health of the Kingdom’s people,” said Dr. Abdul-Hamid Enwas, a staff scientist at KAUST specializing in NMR and contributor to the project.