Comparative Study using Raman and Visible Spectroscopy of Cretan Extra Virgin Olive Oil Adulteration with Sunflower Oil

The adulteration of extra virgin olive oil with low-quality and inexpensive seed oil is a serious problem in the industry. In recent years, the characterization of extra virgin olive oil adulteration with various techniques has been successfully implemented. In this work, a comparative study of Raman and visible spectroscopy is presented. These methods are rapid, noninvasive, and no sample pretreatment is required. We used both methods to study Cretan extra virgin olive oil adulterated with sunflower oil. Statistical analysis based on partial least square regression was used to determine the detection limits of the methods. Raman spectroscopy was superior in comparison to visible spectroscopy with adulteration detection limits of 3.5 and 5.5%, respectively, for the same samples. These results indicate that both techniques are suitable for olive oil quality control.