Determination of water content in olive oil by 31p NMR Spectroscopy

A method for moisture determination in olive oil using P-31 NMR spectroscopy is developed. This method is based on the replacement of the hydrogen atoms of water molecules with the tagging agents 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetra m ethyl-1, 3,2-dioxaphospho lane and diphenylphosphinic chloride. Both reagents were successful in determining moisture in olive oil. However, only the second reagent provided a clean and instantaneous reaction under mild condition with no side reactions as observed with the first reagent. A study comparison was made to assess the agreement between the present analytical NIVIR method and the well-established methods of Karl Fischer titration.