High-throughput screening of argan oil composition and authenticity using benchtop ¹ H NMR

We use 60-MHz benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to acquire ¹ H spectra from argan oils of assured origin. We show that the low-field NMR spectrum of neat oil contains sufficient information to make estimates of compositional parameters and to inform on the presence of minor compounds. A screening method for quality and authenticity is presented based on nearest-neighbour outlier detection. A variety of oil types are used to challenge the method. In a survey of retail-purchased oils, several instances of fraud were found.