R&D RADIO: Oil Analytics, Seed Oils and Adulterated Avocado Oil with Dr. Selina Wang of UC Davis

What this episode covers

Dr. Selina Wang, Faculty Director of the UC Davis Olive Center, explains how her lab’s studies revealed that many commercial avocado oils and finished products like chips and mayonnaise are adulterated with cheaper oils like soybean or high-oleic sunflower oil. She details the chemical forensic methods, specifically analyzing fatty acid and sterol fingerprints, required to detect these substitutions that simple fatty acid testing might miss. Wang advises brands to test both fatty acids and sterols and to treat suspiciously low prices as a major red flag for potential fraud.