Korean Journal of Agricultural Science ISSN:2466-2402(Print) 2466-2410(Online) 농업과학연구

Adulteration of argan oil with some other cheaper oils with similar chemical compositions has resulted in increasing demands for authenticity assurance and quality control. Fast and simple analytical techniques are thus needed for authenticity analysis of high-priced argan oil. Raman spectroscopy is a potent technique and has been extensively used for quality control and safety determination for food products In this study, Raman spectroscopy in combination with a net analyte signal (NAS)-based methodology, i.e., hybrid linear analysis method developed by Goicoechea and Olivieri in 1999 (HLA/GO), was used to predict the different concentrations of olive oil (0 - 20%) added to argan oil. Raman spectra of 90 samples were collected in a spectral range of 400 - 1400 cm-1, and calibration and validation sets were designed to evaluate the performance of the multivariate method. The results revealed a high coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.98 and a low root-mean-square error (RMSE) value of 0.41% for the calibration set, and an R2 of 0.97 and RMSE of 0.36% for the validation set. Additionally, the figures of merit such as sensitivity, selectivity, limit of detection, and limit of quantification were used for further validation. The high R2 and low RMSE values validate the detection ability and accuracy of the developed method and demonstrate its potential for quantitative determination of oil adulteration.