Edible oils comprise a significant portion of any diet, and they also have important roles in the production of foods, cosmetics, and skincare products. For these reasons, a convenient and accurate method for materials identification of a variety of fats and oils is highly desirable. Historically, authentication of fats and oils was performed through intensive laboratory techniques involving chromatographic methods. Here, Raman spectroscopy combined with Principle Component Analysis (PCA) has been used for materials identification with 16 different edible oils, with excellent results. Raman is an ideal technique for evaluation of fats, as carboncarbon double- and single-bonds give strong Raman signals. PCA analysis in combination with Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for qualification and verification of different fats and oils, as there are few visual differences between spectra of edible oils.
