Detection of Adulteration of Poppy Seed Oil with Sunflower Oil Based on Volatiles and Triacylglycerol Composition

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 54; no. 17; pp. 6385 - 6389
• Main Authors: Krist, Sabine, Stuebiger, Gerald, Bail, Stefanie, Unterweger, Heidrun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 23.08.2006
• Subjects: adulterated products; Biological and medical sciences; Fat industries; food analysis; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas chromatography; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General aspects; lipid composition; mass spectrometry; Methods of analysis, processing and quality control, regulation, standards; microextraction; Monoterpenes - analysis; Papaver - chemistry; Papaver somniferum; Plant Oils - chemistry; poppy seed oil; seed oils; Seeds - chemistry; solid phase extraction; solid phase microextraction; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Sunflower Oil; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides - analysis; volatile organic compounds; Volatilization; Sunflower seed; Oilseed; Helianthus; Lipids; MALDI-MS; Vegetable oil; α-pinene; Compositae; Sunflower oil; Triacylglycerol; SPME- GC-MS; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Chemical composition; Control method; Adulteration; Bass; Volatile compound; Poppy; Edible oil; sunflower oil (Oleum helianthus); Analysis method; Pinene; Spermatophyta; triacylglycerols; Detection; Poppy seed oil (Oleum papaveris)
• DOI: 10.1021/jf060500x
• ISSN: 0021-8561

Although poppy seed oil is an expensive article of trade, no literature about identification methods for adulteration with cheaper vegetable oils, like sunflower oil, has been published. This kind of adulteration is a challenge for routine analytical methods, such as the determination of fatty acid composition, because of almost similar fatty acid ratios. The detection of adulteration of poppy seed oils with sunflower oils at different levels (5−40%, w/w) by using SPME−GC−MS and MALDI-ToF-MS is the subject of our investigation. With the mentioned SPME−GC−MS method, it was possible to detect an admixture of sunflower oils in all relevant (5−40%) amounts by using α-pinene as a marker compound. Admixture of sunflower oil with high levels of triolein (high-oleic acid type) could be undoubtedly detected by MALDI-MS down to the 5−10% level. In contrast, adulteration of pure poppy seed oil by “standard” sunflower oils remained indistinguishable using this MALDI-MS. Keywords: Poppy seed oil (Oleum papaveris); sunflower oil (Oleum helianthus); adulteration; SPME−GC−MS; MALDI-MS; α-pinene; triacylglycerols