Origin Authentication of Seed Oils Based on Fatty Acid Data

Analysis of characteristic properties of wild and cultivated plants based on the fatty acid profiles is critical to determine the differences and origin centers of seed oils. Data obtained from the analysis of seed oils, which are the final product with functional and nutritional quality and characteristic compositions resulting from modifications under the influence of multidimensional factors, serve as a reference for the center of origin, taxonomical delineations, natural quality, and GI certification. In the global trade of agricultural products, data on product authenticity and origin are crucial for detecting and preventing fraud, sustainable food security, and access to healthy food. Some studies in this framework have reported that seed fatty acid profiles in various cultivated plants and natural flora elements show differences depending on their genetic characteristics and growing conditions. Therefore, some ratios of major fatty acids may be useful tools as reliable chemometric data for segregation and origin authentication of seed oils from different sources. Within the scope of this review, based on our observations, we suggest a new approach as species-specific MRFA (Marker Ratios of Fatty Acids) calculated by analyzing some major fatty acid concentrations, which can be applicable to both locally cultivated and wild plants at specific and infraspecific levels. It will contribute to the determination of intraspecific differences at the populational level, seed oil characteristics of cultivated varieties, variations in fatty acid concentrations resulting from actual growing conditions, origin characteristics and quality of the product, monitoring changes based on growing periods and ecological gradients, and the processes of determining the origin of seed oils and GI certification.