Novel time-domain NMR-based traits for rapid, label-free Olive oils profiling

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Olive oil classification is complex due to physiochemical properties and manufacturing processes.
• Olive oil adulteration is prevalent due to high market value.
• Current detection methods like Near-Infrared (NIR) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the efficacy of multi-parametric time-domain NMR relaxometry for olive oil analysis.
• To provide a rapid, label-free, and non-destructive method for olive oil classification and adulteration detection.
• To evaluate the potential of NMR-relaxation traits for tracing olive oil's geographical origin.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multi-parametric time-domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxometry.
• Analyzed subtle differences in the molecular microenvironment of olive oils.
• Compared NMR-based detection performance against NIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• NMR-based detection achieved an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.95 for classification, outperforming NIR (AUC=0.84) and UV-Vis (AUC=0.73).
• The method demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in identifying and classifying olive oils.
• NMR-relaxation traits showed viability (AUC=0.71) for tracing olive tree regions of origin, despite natural variations.

Conclusions:

• Multi-parametric time-domain NMR relaxometry offers a superior, rapid, and non-destructive approach for olive oil authentication.
• This NMR technique provides a sensitive and specific alternative to existing spectroscopic methods.
• NMR-based analysis holds promise for determining the geographical origin of olive oils.