1.

Introduction
Today, the chemometrics techniques have played a very important role in the study of edible fats
and oils, especially for the authentica- tion study [1]. One of the chemometrics techniques widely
used is multivariate calibrations in order to elaborate the relationship be- tween the
concentration of analyte(s) and the response of instrumen- tal assay like FTIR spectra [2]. The
chemical analysis by infrared spectrophotometry rests on the fast acquisition of a great number
(several hundred and even several thousands) of spectral data [3].
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has emerged an at- tractive alternative technique
for some reasons. The development of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) as sampling handling
technique has revitalized the use of FTIR spectroscopy. Using ATR, there is no ex- cessive sample
preparation; consequently, the use of hazardous sol- vents and reagents can be avoided [4]. This
fact is very attractive for scientists who are take care about the human and environmental health
issues. For this reason, FTIR spectroscopy and other vibrational spectroscopic techniques can be
taken into consideration as “green analytical technique” for the analysis of edible fats and oils [5].
In recent years, olive oil (OO) has received great attention owing to its biological activities and
sensory qualities. It has social and economical importance for the Mediterranean regions [6]. OO
is one of the strictly regulated oil products; consequently, it can be target for adulteration. Among
OO classes, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the highest quality of OO. Due to the therapeutic value
and high price of EVOO, some market players intentionally or unintentionally try to blend EVOO
with much cheaper plant oils like palm, soya, and sunflower oils [7].
The adulteration of food products is of primary importance for consumers, food processors,
regulatory bodies, and industries [8]. The adulteration practice frequently involves the
replacement or dilu- tion of high-cost ingredients with cheaper substitutes. Although the
adulteration is done for economic reasons, the action can cause severe health and safety
problems such as the Spanish toxic syndrome that killed some people. In addition, the
adulteration of EVOO can be a po- tential risk for patients having the allergic history to EVOO's
adulter- ants [9, 10].
Several publications have reported the application of chemo- metrics techniques applied to FTIR
spectral data for quantitative anal- ysis of certain plant oils. The presence of hazelnut oil [11],
sunflower and corn oils [12], sunflower, corn, soybean and hazelnut oils [13], sunflower, soybean,
sesame, and corn oils [14], and palm oil [15] has been analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy
combined with chemo- metrics techniques. However, there is no reported work in relation to the
use of FTIR spectroscopy for the analysis of RBO which has the similar FTIR spectra to EVOO. The
objective of this research was to use the chemometrics techniques of discriminant analysis and
multivariate calibrations (partial least square and principle compo- nent regressions) for the
analysis of RBO in EVOO. Furthermore, the change of fatty acid profiles in EVOO due to the
addition of RBO was also reported in order to complement the FTIR spectroscopy results.