Applications of ultrasound techniques in tandem with non-destructive approaches for the quality evaluation of edible oils

Edible oils include triglycerides that are extracted from oil seeds or fruits such as sunflowers, palms, olives, soys, rapeseeds, cocoa and many others. They are the elementary origins of unsaturated fats and vitamins especially vitamin 'E' in people’s diets. Edible oils are at risk of intentional (such as inadequate storage conditions) and unintentional adulteration, so it is necessary to pay attention to their safety, health and fraud. Generally, this evaluation can be destructive or non-destructive. There are numerous methods to evaluate quality of edible oils which include sensory analysis, chemical analysis, chromatography, ultrasound, etc. The Ultrasonic approach is a non-destructive way and also fast, accurate, inexpensive, repeatable, portable and simple. Combination of ultrasound with other techniques such as electronic nose, electronic tongue, visible spectroscopic fingerprints, chemical descriptors, Raman spectroscopy, mid-infrared and machine vision, will improve quality evaluation and detection accuracy. This review summarizes the ultrasound idea and the latest knowledge of its application with other techniques on evaluation of edible oils.