Abstract
This study utilised the fatty acid (FA) profiles of cosmetic argan oils from various producers obtained from retail outlets in Poland, Turkey and Morocco between November 2022 and November 2023 as an indicator to control the quality (i.e., purity) and origin (i.e., geographical origin) of the oils. The fatty acid profile was analysed using gas chromatography (GC), which revealed that the most prevalent fatty acid in argan oil is oleic acid (C18:1), followed by linoleic acid (C18:2) and, in order, palmitic acid (C16:0). Furthermore, the (1)H NMR spectroscopy method was found to be both rapid and precise in identifying characteristic signals indicative of the presence of individual components (fatty acids) in argan oil, without the necessity for additional analyte processing. To analyse the results obtained, a PCA analysis was performed to discriminate between seven purified argan oil samples. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing certain variables as authenticity and quality criteria. In the context of argan oils, the incorporation of limits for trans fatty acids and the capacity to discern origin through fatty acid profiling may prove to be of paramount importance. The results obtained demonstrated highly significant discrimination of five groups by region and three groups by preparation.