Virgin olive oil authentication using mass spectrometry-based approaches: A review

Abstract

Virgin olive oil (VOO) is one of the most valuable vegetable oils due to its excellent nutritional value and health benefits. However, its high cost and demand make it one of the most vulnerable products to food fraud. Hence, providing rapid and effective analytical methods is essential for the quality and authenticity assessment of olive oils. Mass spectrometry (MS) has been crucial for the detection of fraudulent activities in VOO, mainly related to the verification of geographical origin or cultivar variety, the correct discrimination between different commercial categories, and adulteration with other vegetable oils or lower-quality olive oils. An ample range of MS approaches have been reported, including chromatographic systems coupled to MS, direct MS using different ionization sources, analysis with minor or even no sample preparation by ambient MS methods, and MS-based elemental analysis techniques. This review aims to provide an overview of these MS-based methods, which, often combined with suitable chemometric techniques, constitute a resourceful tool for ensuring olive oil authenticity.