ABSTRACT Adulteration of edible oils poses significant health and economic risks worldwide. This systematic review evaluates the types of adulterants present in edible oils and critically examines analytical detection methods, emphasizing their reliability, sensitivity, and applicability. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy using defined keywords and Boolean operators was applied across PubMed, JSTOR, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus, covering literature from 1965 to 2025. Additional studies were identified through Google Scholar, forward and backward citation tracking, and manual searches of relevant journals via platforms such as ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, and Taylor & Francis. National and international regulatory documents, including food safety standards, were also reviewed. Eligible studies were published in English and focused on edible oil adulteration, additives, or detection methodologies involving analytical, spectroscopic, chromatographic, or molecular techniques. Exclusion criteria included duplicates, low‐quality studies, inaccessible full texts, insufficient data, and studies on non‐edible or industrial oils. The search yielded 490 records. After removing duplicates and screening, 273 articles were assessed by title and abstract, and 203 full texts were sought, of which 89 were unavailable. Of the 114 full‐text articles reviewed, 73 were excluded due to poor data reporting, methodological weaknesses, irrelevance, or being in a non‐English language. An additional 128 studies were included from previous reviews and other sources, resulting in 169 studies analyzed, and no protocol was registered for this review. A wide range of traditional and advanced analytical techniques is currently employed for the detection of edible oil adulteration. However, the growing use of increasingly sophisticated and economically motivated adulteration strategies, such as the substitution of high‐value oils with lower‐cost edible or non‐edible oils, the addition of undeclared additives, and blending with refined or deodorized oils, often challenges conventional quality parameters. This review comprehensively outlines common and emerging adulterants and critically evaluates available detection approaches, including chemical assays, chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, sensor‐based systems, and molecular biology‐based methods. The advantages and limitations of each method are discussed in terms of sensitivity, specificity, cost, technical complexity, and practical applicability. Overall, the review highlights the complementary roles of low‐cost screening tools and advanced analytical technologies and emphasizes the need for continuous methodological innovation and robust regulatory frameworks to ensure effective oil authentication, consumer protection, and public health safety. However, with the advent of new adulteration methods that are not detectable with conventional quality parameters, continuous improvements and regulations are essential.
Sakalasuriya et al. (Tue,) studied this question.