Potential of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for a Discriminant Characterization of PDO VOOs

Interest in virgin olive oil (VOO) is growing among consumers and industry due to its well-received sensorial attributes and to its higher oxidative stability, as well as to its positive health effects. Furthermore, attention is being increasingly paid to other quality attributes of VOO, such as sustainability and geographical origin. For these reasons, this oil has an important added value and is exposed to fraudulent practices. In order to guarantee its origin, the European Union (EU) has developed the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) quality scheme that links the characteristics of a VOO to its geographical origin. In recent years attempts to develop tools that enable the authentication of PDO-labeled VOOs are carried out. In this regard, studies using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to this aim are here reviewed. Practical Applications: Due to the added value of PDO VOOs, their authentication is of great importance for administration, consumers and producers. The studies in which NMR spectroscopy has been used to this aim are analyzed here. In this context, this review provides a view of the state of the art that can be of practical interest not only for the researchers of the subject but also for the aforementioned groups.