Virgin olive oil metabolomics: A review

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Metabolomics is increasingly vital for food analysis, driven by demands for enhanced food safety, quality, and authenticity.
• Virgin olive oil (VOO), a significant part of the Mediterranean diet, faces analytical challenges despite strict regulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review metabolomics approaches for Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) analysis.
• To highlight efforts in geographical/varietal classification and adulteration detection using metabolomics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized targeted and untargeted metabolomics, including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (LC/GC-MS).
• Employed multivariate statistical analysis for data interpretation.
• Reviewed case-studies on VOO classification and adulteration detection.

Main Results:

• Metabolomics, particularly NMR and MS techniques, shows promise in identifying markers for VOO classification and adulteration.
• Specific analytical challenges in VOO analysis were identified.

Conclusions:

• Metabolomics offers powerful tools for ensuring VOO quality, authenticity, and safety.
• Further research is needed to address existing analytical limitations in VOO analysis.