Differentiation of Edible Oils by Type Using Raman Spectroscopy and Pattern Recognition Methods

The application of Raman spectroscopy and pattern recognition methods to the problem of discriminating edible oils by type was investigated. Two-hundred and eighty-six Raman spectra obtained from 53 samples spanning 15 varieties of edible oils were collected for 90 s at 2 cm^-1 resolution. Employing a Whittaker filter, all Raman spectra were baseline corrected after removing the high-intensity fluorescent background in each spectrum. The Raman spectral data were then examined using the three major types of pattern recognition methodology: mapping and display, discriminant development and clustering. The 15 varieties of edible oils could be partitioned into five distinct groups based on their degree of saturation and the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids. Edible oils assigned to one group could be readily differentiated from those assigned to other groups, whereas Raman spectra within the same group more closely resembled each other and therefore would be more difficult to classify by type.