Analysis of Edible Oils & Fats with FT-NIR Spectroscopy

Food Analysis with FT-NIR Spectroscopy

Analysis of Edible Oils & Fats

Oils and fats are recognized as essential nutrients of our daily diet and contribute significantly to the regulation of different body functions. Numerous parameters are used to assess their quality. Bruker’s dedicated FT-NIR solutions enable a rapid analysis of edible oils and fats.

Different parameters are used to assess the quality of edible fats and oils, including fatty acid composition, iodine value (IV), free fatty acids (FFA), trans fatty acids (TFA), anisidine value (AnV), and various other parameters.

FT-NIR analysis – ideal for testing edible oils, olive oils, fish oils, frying oils as well as oilseeds for various quality parameters within a minute.

The traditional analyses are generally carried out using standardized chemical and physical methods, which tend to be time-consuming and produce high running costs, e.g. GC analysis. Moreover, they often require hazardous solvents and reagents, which create a potential health risk and add disposal costs.

Rapid quality control for edible oils can be achieved by Bruker’s dedicated FT-NIR solutions. The analysis is quick, cost-effective and safe to use, even for untrained staff, since no sample preparation is required. The oil is simply filled into an 8mm glass vial and measured in the sample compartment of the spectrometer.

Edible Oil Analysis with MPA II

Measurement of edible oils in an 8mm vial in the sample compartment
of the MPA II FT-NIR spectrometer

Specialized Applictions

Apart from analyzing the common plant-based edible oils and fats, FT-NIR is also a valuable tool for more dedicated application areas. With its expertise of more than 15 years in the field of plant and marine oils, Bruker Optics offers more than 60 different parameters across the various types of oils.

Olive Oil Analysis

Olive Oil Processing

An acidity value below 0.8% is the main criterion for the classification of the olive oil as “extra virgin”. Other quality parameters include the peroxide value, an indication for the rancidity of the oil as well as K-values (UV absorption) and many others.

The amount of 1,2-diglycerides as well as the pyropheophytin content in the oil reveals if a an olive oil was stored for too long or even adulterated with refined (olive) oils to obtain lower acidity values.

All these critical parameters can be tested with a 30 second FT-NIR measurement, enabling a thorough quality control along the production chain of the olive oil.

Watch a short video on how one of our customers analyzes olives and olive oil with FT-NIR spectroscopy.

Degradation Analysis of Frying Oils

Monitoring Frying Oil Quality

Frying is a well established, cost effective and fast method of food preparation. However, frying oils, used continuously and repeatedly at high temperatures, are subject to a series of degradation processes. Increasing amounts of free fatty acids and total polar components indicate oil degradation leading to a deterioration of the sensory quality and to potential health issues.

FT-NIR spectroscopy is a proven method to assess the quality of deep-frying oil with regards to its key parameters describing all aspects of the fat degradation. This was acknowledged by the DGF who issued the Standard Method „FT-NIR Spectroscopy: Screening analysis of used frying fats and oils for rapid determination of polar compounds, polymerized triacylglycerols, acid value and anisidine value [DGF C VI 21a (13)].“

Learn more by downloading our application note.

Analysis of Marine Oils

Monitoring Frying Oil Quality

Marine oils are the main source of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. Especially Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) are known to be highly beneficial to human health. FT-NIR spectroscopy can analyze the level of the individual omega-3s of the sample, as well as the oxidation status like anisidine or peroxide value in less than a minute.

To ensure that pharma-grade fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids meet the strict quality parameters before their release, it is essential to carry out a completely traceable analysis according to GLP. Bruker Optics spectrometers can be fully validated according to US Pharmacopeia and PhEur. The operating software supports Operational Qualification (OQ) and Performance Qualification (PQ) as well as full traceability according to 21 CFR Part 11 and the current Data Integrity guidelines.

Download our application note with more information.

Oils, Seeds and more: Quality Control with FT-NIR along the Production Chain

Join our webinar "Oils, Seeds and more: Quality Control with FT-NIR along the Production Chain"


Further Information

© Copyright 2021 Bruker Optics GmbH & Co. KG