Composition of tocopherols in sesame seed oil: an indicative of adulteration

Abstract

The objective of this research was to verify how the composition of tocopherols can help to reveal adulteration in samples of sesame seed oils commercialized in Brazil. Five samples have been analyzed. One sample presented the composition of fatty acids, tocopherols and desmethylsterols of authentic sesame oil. Another one presented only non complying parameters. Three other samples showed the fatty acid composition of pure sesame oil, but the tocopherol and desmethylsterol profiles did not comply with those for sesame seed oil. The results indicate that samples could be adulterated by other vegetable oils like soybean, lauric and corn oils.

Keywords

• adulteration
• sesame seed oil
• tocopherol composition