An improved rapid stigmastadiene test to detect addition of refined oil to extra virgin olive oil

- An improved stigmastadiene test for virgin oilive oil is presented.
- The method is more rapid and easier to apply than the current regulatory procedures.
- It is sensitivite and can confirmation of peak identity at the regulatory limit.
- The method can detect other sterenes in oils.

Extra virgin olive oil is a premium food product that is likely to be the target of adulteration with refined olive oils or seed oils. Refining produces steroidal alkenes (sterenes) including stigmastadiene. This paper describes a rapid GC-MS method for the determination of stigmastadiene which is faster and more sensitive than the current official procedure based on GC-FID. The method does not require a saponification procedure for cold pressed oils, uses a stigmastadiene standard for quantification, has a low limit of quantification (0.015 mg kg− 1) and gives excellent confirmation of peak identity at the current regulatory limit of 0.5 mg kg− 1.