ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 November 2003
Page Count: 5

Analysis and Classification of Common Vegetable Oils
(Received 24 June 2003; accepted 18 June 2003)

Abstract

The analysis of fatty acids from common vegetable oils was investigated for application to forensic casework. A base-catalyzed transesterification of the fatty acids to fatty acid methyl esters using tetramethylammonium hydroxide was simple, rapid, straightforward and inexpensive. Canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean and sunflower oils were able to be classified based on their fatty acid methyl ester profiles. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the detection limits for canola, corn, olive, peanut and safflower oils were determined to be 0.4 mg/mL or less and 0.2 mg/mL or less for soybean and sunflower oils.

Keywords:
forensic science, fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, transesterification, vegetable oils, classification of vegetable oils

Paper ID: JFS2003122
DOI: 10.1520/JFS2003122
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