Authenticity of Maltese olive oil.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to establish whether the technique chosen can be profitably used in chemical pattern characterisation for the authentication of olive oil. Using ICP-MS technique, twenty olive oil samples were scanned. Earth and irrigation water samples were also analysed. The lead concentrations in these sample results were compared together and with the lead concentration levels investigated in the olive oil samples. Although a considerable amount of lead was found in the earth and irrigation samples, no lead was found in the olive oil samples as the lead levels in olive oil samples did not follow the natural abundance isotope ratio and the standard deviation for blanks. The fact that no lead was found in the olive oil samples while both the earth and the irrigation water samples had lead traces indicates that lead might be absorbed by the plant and does not find its way into the olive oil. The ICP-Ms results obtained for each olive oil sample show that different elements are strongly observed in some olive oil samples while not in others. These elements when compared with the natural abundance isotope ratio for each have showed that they do not follow the same pattern as generally found in nature. From the results obtained in the study, there were no clear common correlations between the elemental profiles of the olive oil samples analysed to be able to indicate clearly the origin of such sample. The application of ICP-MS to determine the authenticity of olive oil requires further research before practical evaluation on authenticity can be undertaken on a commercial scale.