Analytical methods to detect adulteration of argan oil: A critical review

• Published in: Microchemical journal Vol. 168; p. 106501
• Main Authors: Mohammed, Faez, Guillaume, Dominique, Warland, Jon, Abdulwali, Nada
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analytical techniques; Argan oil; Authenticity; Chemical Sciences; Fluorescence spectroscopy; Organic chemistry; Vegetable oil; Authenticity; Fluorescence spectroscopy; Analytical techniques; Argan oil; Vegetable oil
• ISSN: 0026-265X; 1095-9149
• DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2021.106501

•Argan oil is well known all over the world and is used as edible and/or cosmetic oil.•Argan oil is very expensive and therefore can be adulterated with low-price and low-quality vegetable oils.•Detection of argan oil adulteration is an important subject for the argan oil industry.•Laser-Induced Fluorescence can ascertain the purity of argan oil up to up to 99.6%.•Current techniques for argan oil quality control should be updated. Argan oil is widely known as an edible, cosmetic, and pharmacologically active oil. It is also particularly expensive. Therefore argan oil adulteration with low price vegetable oils is frequent, making accurate, easy to use, and fast techniques to detect argan oil adulteration necessary. In this review, we present the advantages and disadvantages of a range of methods developed to detect argan oil adulteration. Though chromatography or infrared spectroscopy present the advantage of being efficient, easy to use and accurate, these techniques are time-consuming, expensive, and require somehow complexe sample preparation. At the present time, fluorescence spectroscopy appears to be the most efficient technique.