Authenticity of vegetable oils continues to be a
challenge and the target of many studies. Consumers expectancy
on healthier products that conform
to the labelled information, and
the vast amount of legislation a
bout the correct characterisation and
classification of vegetable oils have
boosted a number of scientific
works on this subject. Analytical t
echniques to face this challenge
are, at least, as manifold as ar
e the ways of adulteration, ranging
from classical determination of chemical parameters to highly
sophisticated instrumental and molecular biology techniques.
Rather than being an exhaustive revision of published works, the
aim of the present chapter is to
summarise: i) the analytical
methods used in the determination of the main oil components such
as fatty acids, triacylglycerols, phytosterols, tocopherols and
tocotrienols, phenolic compounds, pigments and volatile
compounds, emphasising their importance in authenticity
evaluation; ii) the alternative tech
niques based on spectroscopic.
