Detection of adulteration of almond oil with apricot oil through determination of tocopherols

Abstract

A procedure was devised for detection of adulteration of almond oil with apricot oil. -Tocopherol was found to be the main component in apricot oil, while it was present in almond oil in a limited amount. The developed method calls for a preliminary separation of the tocopherols from the oils' unsaponifiable matter by thin-layer chromatography. Subsequently, the a-and 7-to-copherols are determined either by gas-liquid chromatography or by colorimetry. It was shown that admixtures of as little as 5% apricot oil can be detected by the proposed procedure. 7-T0copherol, present in apricot oil, was responsible for the color which developed during the Bieber test.

Tree nut oils

“…For example, hazelnut oil is frequently used to replace extra virgin olive oil (Calvano et al, 2012), sweet almond oil can be adulterated with peach and apricot kernel oil (Gurfinger and Letan, 1973), and solvent-extracted refined oil can be added to cold-pressed virgin oils to lower manufacturing costs. For example, hazelnut oil is frequently used to replace extra virgin olive oil (Calvano et al, 2012), sweet almond oil can be adulterated with peach and apricot kernel oil (Gurfinger and Letan, 1973), and solvent-extracted refined oil can be added to cold-pressed virgin oils to lower manufacturing costs.…”

A trnH-psbA barcode genotyping assay for the detection of common apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) adulteration in almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.)

“…Almond is consumed and incorporated into recipes in the form of intact kernels, powder or paste, commonly referred to as marzipan. Almond tree is a member of the genus Prunus (Rosaceae) together with apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), which also produces edible kernels that provide similar sensory properties to certain almond products when used as an adulterant (Gutfinger & Letan, 1973;Schelm, Haase, Fischer, & Fischer, 2016;Van Gansbeke, Bény, De Loose, & Taverniers, 2018). Accordingly, apart from the industrial utilization of apricot kernels in some countries for the production of a marzipan substitute, persipan (Hayta & Alpaslan, 2011), the primary utilization of sweet/debittered apricot seeds recovered from fruit processing plants was indicated as the adulteration of almond kernels and almond oil (Femenia, Rossello, Mulet, & Canellas, 1995).…”

“…Accordingly, apart from the industrial utilization of apricot kernels in some countries for the production of a marzipan substitute, persipan (Hayta & Alpaslan, 2011), the primary utilization of sweet/debittered apricot seeds recovered from fruit processing plants was indicated as the adulteration of almond kernels and almond oil (Femenia, Rossello, Mulet, & Canellas, 1995). Almond kernels cost twice as much as apricot kernels, thus, apricot seeds become the primary substitute for adulterating marzipan, almond powder, almond oil and even whole almonds in bakery products and confectioneries (Esteki, Farajmand, Kolahderazi, & Simal Gandara, 2017a;Gutfinger & Letan, 1973;Haase, Brüning, Matissek, & Fischer, 2013;Luber, Demmel, Hosken, Busch, & Engel, 2012;Schelm et al, 2016;Van Gansbeke et al, 2018). Marzipan, a product that is exclusively produced from almond paste and sugar, is susceptible to fraud with a cheaper yet similar alternative prepared with apricot kernels, referred to as persipan.…”

“…While oils of other Rosaceae species, especially apricot oil, display similar physical and compositional characteristics, they are much cheaper compared to almond oil. Consequently, apricot oil is reported as a common adulterant in almond oil (Femenia et al, 1995;Gutfinger & Letan, 1973). Another prominent example is the adulteration of almond powder with that of apricot (Esteki et al, 2017a).…”

“…In limited number of work, analytical chemistry methods were proposed to discriminate between processed products of almond and apricot. Gutfinger and Letan (1973) reported the detection of apricot oil in almond oil through tocopherol profiling. Esteki et al (2017a) used fatty acid profiling by gas chromatography coupled with multivariate data analysis for the detection of apricot powder in almond powder.…”