How To Differentiate Between Genuine And Fake Cooking Oil

The Food Safety and Standards Commission of India recently said that nearly 18,000 litres of fake cooking oil was seized in Ajmer alone. This raises the question “What is fake cooking oil and how do you differentiate it from genuine oil?”. Identifying fake edible oils is considered very important for our health and economic reasons. Fake or adulterated cooking oils contain ingredients that are harmful to our health.

Oils that are often labelled as “fair” typically list only one type of oil, which increases the risk of adulteration when compared to products containing a variety of oils. If the price of the oil you purchase is significantly lower than the average market price, this may also indicate adulteration. Always ensure that the bottle of oil you buy is properly sealed. If the seal is broken or the bottle cap is loose, there is a higher likelihood of the oil being adulterated.

It is advisable to purchase oils from reputable brands whenever possible. High-quality oils have specific colours and clarity. For instance, olive oil should appear golden-green, while sunflower oil should be brownish-yellow. Any unusual colour or cloudy texture in the oil should raise suspicion. Authentic, unadulterated oils have a distinct mixed scent, depending on the type of oil. This characteristic smell is usually absent in adulterated oils.

How to Test Oil Quality at Home?

Take a clean bowl pour some oil in it and keep it in the refrigerator. If it is pure oil it will turn thick. If this is an adulterated oil it will be in liquid form.

Place the oil in the freezer. Pure olive oil, for example, solidifies in 30 minutes.

Apply a small drop of oil on a white paper and let it dry. If it is pure oil it will form an even point without a grease-filled ring.

Take the cooking oil in a test tube and add 4 ml of distilled water to it. Shake the test tube well for a few seconds. Take 2 ml of this mixture in another test tube and add 2 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid to it. If it is unadulterated oil there will be no change in color. This is what causes the adulterated oil to turn red.

To test the purity of coconut oil, take a bowl of coconut oil and keep it in a refrigerator at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius. After 60 to 90 minutes the clean oil will be solid. If this is an adulterated oil, the oil will solidify on the surface and the remaining oil will be liquid.