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In 2019, a Europol-coordinated operation resulted in the seizure of 150,000 litres of low-quality oils that had been adulterated with colourants to make them appear like extra virgin olive oils, with 20 arrest made. There are recommended methods to authenticate olive oils using different test procedures applied one after the other, which is time-consuming and expensive. German researchers have developed a rapid NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) that gives a  profile based on the identification of constituents such as fatty acids and polyphenols in one hour. A database of profiles has been built up with extra virgin olive oil produced in Greece, Italy and Spain permitting the country of origin to be checked as well.

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Greek researchers have evaluated using DNA markers SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) and SSRs (simple sequence repeats) combined with high resolution melting (HRM) to authenticate monvarietal olive oils and the quantitative determination of adulteration with other plant oils (maize and sunflower oils). The SSR-HRM was more efficient in distinguishing monovarietal olive oils, while the SNP-HRM assay was more reliable in discriminating olive oil blends. HRM was also used for the detection of adulteration of olive oil with oils of different plant origin by using plastid trnL indels and SNPs. The trnL-indels-HRM showed higher discrimination power than the trnL-SNP-HRM in determining adulteration in olive oil. 

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This open access chapter reviews the current DNA approaches to authenticating olive oil by identification of the variety or the plant species from which it was extracted. The chapter examines the current trends and critical issues on DNA targeted approaches used for traceability and authenticity of olive oil in this rapidly expanding field.

Read the chapter at: DNA based methods for olive oil