Article Source, Olive Oil Time
A recent UC Davis study discovered that the majority of avocado oils were adulterated and/or mislabeled, once again highlights the fact that food fraud and economically motivated adulteration are real concerns for the consumer. Unfortunately, this kind of adulteration is difficult to detect without testing. Unfortunately, this fraud is not unique to avocado oil, but can be found across a variety of higher-end edible oils. If you are concerned about the authenticity of your oils, we encourage you to contact us to discuss what can be done.
Food scientists from the University of California found that the majority of avocado oil sold in the U.S. was of poor quality, mislabeled or extensively adulterated with cheaper oils.
The scale is of the fraud is horrific. In U.K. and Europe a supermarket tests every product before it goes on the shelf. This is not the case in the U.S. where price is key to a listing decision.
– Gary Hannam, CEO of Olivado
The study on commercially sold avocado oil unveiled some shocking data. The research team found that 82 percent of the “avocado oil” sampled was actually made up of a blend of other oils, and three of the evaluated products were almost entirely comprised of soybean oil.
Selina Wang, co-author of the study told Olive Oil Times she was shocked by the high rate of adulteration. “I was expecting some percentage of adulterants, but not 100 percent,” said Wang. The research team was less surprised by the widespread mislabeling which they attributed to a lack of standards.
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