
Abstract
Assessment of food authenticity from upstream in the supply chain is critical for the food industry. Environmental challenges
and geo-political situations are causing shortages of raw materials resulting in a potential risk for food fraud. An example of
this issue is the adulteration of edible oils by the addition of low-price oil, frying oil, or even non-edible grade oils mixtures
threatening foods industries, consumer safety, and trust. Reliable screening tools to assess raw materials authenticity are there-
fore needed. Assessment of an improved alternative approach using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)
is shown as a tool to evaluate edible oil authenticity and adulteration. Two methods were tested including an untargeted
method based on fingerprints profiling for detection of adulteration with vegetable oil and a targeted method for mineral oil
adulteration detection (e.g., paraffin wax). Statistical analysis was applied to determine acceptance criteria range to assess
variability, limit of adulteration detection, and reproducibility. The robustness of the method was tested within an interlabo-
ratory study using palm oil. Detection of adulteration with edible oils was achieved at levels from 5 to 25% while < 5% was
predicted for mineral oils adulteration. Both methods showed promising results in terms of adulteration detection capability
making this approach a reliable, and efficient tool to assess and monitor edible oils quality with added value in the field.