Forensic techniques have allowed interpreting the DNA present in liquid gold
Madrid, November 25, 2016.
Experts from the University of Córdoba (UCO and the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IAS) of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas have applied a forensic technique to quantify in an absolute way the DNA present in virgin olive oil with the aim of developing a method of traceability that contributes both to the certification of quality and designation of origin, and to the identification of possible frauds Miguel Rico, president of INNOLIVA, considers that this is a “great step forward”, although he assures that “the important thing now is to take it to the practice and finish, once and for all with the impostor oil “.
Each living being has a completely different DNA and identifying it in the food allows to control the quality of it. This is the premise that led the team of researchers from the UCO and CSIC to develop this study on olive oil, whose results, according to Rico, “demonstrate that it is possible to fight against fraud in this food and defend , first of all, quality. ”
“The ultimate goal is to develop a traceability method to determine if the bottles offered with the monovarietal olive oil label are as stated, contain oil from another variety (s) or, even if it contains oils of other species, such as sunflower, peanut or almond, “explains Gabriel Dorado Pérez, one of the UCO scientists.
The swindle in the sale of liquid gold is nothing new, however, the president of INNOLIVA recalls that in the last year “the professionalism of the sector in general has been put to trial due to the bad practice of a few”, which At some point, they sold the food at a higher price than would correspond to its quality.
“We are getting closer and closer to ending the problem. This type of research is fundamental for both the sector and the consumer, since both end up paying the consequences when a deception of this type occurs, “Rico reasons.
However, for the businessman “the important thing now is to put it into practice and that the advances do not fall on deaf ears”.
“We have weapons to fight against the impostor oil, let’s use them”, concludes the head of INNOLIVA.
This is not the first time that the UCO strives to defend the quality of the oil. Already last year, he developed a scientific method to differentiate the types of oil, assigning it the corresponding category and contributing, therefore, to diminish the economic losses for the producer and the frauds for the consumer.
About Innoliva
The company, which has its head office in Pamplona (Spain), owns more than 5,000 hectares of irrigated olive groves, located in Spain and Portugal, where the Mediterranean climate gives the olive tree the ideal environment for the development and maturation of the fruit; and it favors the obtaining of Extra Virgin Olive Oils with excellent sensory qualities.
With its production system, they guarantee the integral traceability of the entire process: from the olive tree to the final customer.
They make their Extra Virgin Olive Oil cold in the shortest time possible from the entrance of the olive in the oil mill. And they take care of the oil already produced to maintain their excellent sensory and healthy qualities as long as possible.
