2023 AIChE Annual Meeting
Unmasking Adulteration of Commercial Avocado Oils: A Case Study Using Parameters from Novel Regulatory Standards
Verónica Patiño González, Diana Obispo Fortunato, Luis Martin MarÃn-Obispo, Carmen Hernández-Brenes
Unmasking Adulteration of Commercial Avocado Oils: A Case Study Using Parameters from Novel Regulatory Standards
In a landscape marked by an expansion of options of Mexican avocado oil in the market, consumers must ensure that the product they acquire is of good quality and meets regulations. Due to the recent improvements in Mexican avocado oil regulations, this represents a significant change for consumers. Oils being 100% avocado not only benefits the consumer, but also reinforces a brandâs dedication to transparency and integrity. The goal of this research was to verify if some avocado oil brands comply with the recently approved NMX-F-811-SCFI-2021 standard (NMX) and CXS 210-1999 Standard (CODEX) through the fatty acid profile. Avocado oils from 12 commercial brands from different batches were used for each evaluated brand in the random sampling (n=3). The determination of fatty acids was carried out according to the AOCS Method Ce2-66 in a gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector. To be approved, a brand had to meet allowed fatty acids values in both CODEX and NMX standards; failure in NMX, even if it was within CODEX limits meant automatic disapproval. Out of the 12 brands, 58% failed to meet the stearic acid values as well as 42% that missed the palmitoleic acid values specified in both standards. When it comes to arachidic acid, 33% did not meet the values specified in both standards, and 25% didnât meet the NMX specifications. Similarly, for linoleic acid, 25% exceeded the values specified in both standards, while 16.6% didnât meet the NMX specifications. This research exposes the avocado oil brands according to NMX and CODEX through the fatty acid profile, and how the brands that don't meet the mandatory requirements indicate implications for the industry and consumers. This study contributes to ensuring that the food industry remains competitive and has rigorous standards that hopefully lead to a higher ratio of products that meet the required values of components present in Mexican avocado oil.