Seeking a Fast Screening Method of the Varietal Origin of Olive Oil: The Usefulness of an NMR-Based Approach

This work encompasses the use of 1D multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, namely, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR DEPT 45, combined with a multivariate statistical analysis to characterize olive oils produced from nine different varieties: Galega Vulgar, Cobrançosa, Cordovil de Serpa, Blanqueta, Madural, Verdeal Alentejana, Arbequina, Picual and Carrasquenha. Thus, the suitability of an NMR-based spectroscopic tool to discriminate olive oils according to their varietal origin is addressed. The results obtained show that the model based on (13)C NMR DEPT 45 data has a stronger performance than the model based on (1)H NMR data, proving to be promising in the discrimination of the olive oils under study based on their varietal origin, being particularly relevant for olive oils of the Galega Vulgar variety.