Authenticity of Single Seed Vegetable Oils — a Survey of the UK Market

* ,{inistry oflgriculture, lisheties and !aod, !ood Labelling and Standards Division, Ergon IIo se, c/o Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London S rlP 3.1R. The Minislry of Agriculture, bisheries and hood’s Working Party on Food Authenticity has carried out o suney lo investigctte lhe purity of four types of single seed ttegetable oil (maize, sunflower, groundnut and palm) sold through retail and catering outlets. A total of290 samples (79 maize oil, I l0 sunflower oil, 82 groundnut oil and l9 palm oil) were collected from throughout the UK. All samples were screened on lhe basis oj the Jaily acid compositkn.for the presence of oils other than thdt nomed on the product label. The r3Cl12C stable tsotope ratio of maize oils was also delermined and the slip melting point of palm oils wos meosurcd. I’he desmethylsterol composition an or tocopherol composition of samples suspected of containing three percent or more of an undeclared oil (on the ba,sis cf the fatty acid composition) were determined in order lo try and detect and quantify the presence of’ropeseed and .soyabean oil respectirely.