H-1 NMR as a tool for the analysis of mixtures of virgin olive oil with oils of different botanical origin

H-1 NMR spectroscopy provides a possible alternative to conventional chroma tographic methods for determining the composition of oils. In this study, v arious oils from olive, hazelnut and sunflower were analysed by H-1 NMR spe ctroscopy. Experimental conditions were chosen in order to have a short exp erimental time. It was demonstrated that multivariate statistical methods, in particular discriminant analysis, applied to selected predominant peaks in the H-1 NMR spectra of oils resulted in a good separation between these three oils of different botanical origin and permitted the detection of the ir mixtures. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.