LAUSR

Prized virgin olive oils are protected by the certification brands PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication) introduced by European Union in 1992. These brands rely on a known geographical origin, olive varieties, and production methods. Because branded oils are relatively expensive for the consumer, they have been targeted by fraudulent practices, such as addition/substitution with low quality oils, or non‐conformity with the discipline of production. Food genomics is a discipline that, before the analysis of residual DNA in food, allows for the identification of species or varieties of raw materials in order to establish if a product complies or not with the label. After invention of product category rules (PCR) that allow for the amplification of a few and degraded DNA molecules, food genomics has been applied in the traceability of different foods. Olive oil represents a real challenge, due to its characteristics, including the difficulty of extracting DNA in sufficient amount and of quality for PCR. Several studies have reported methods of DNA extraction from virgin olive oil that have led to satisfactory analysis with PCR. This review is a perspective study in this direction. Practical Applications: Virgin olive oil production is an important sector of Mediterranean countries and methods for controlling their origin and quality are of great interest to producers and consumers. Food genomics may be an alternative or complementary platform to the traditional analytical methods based on the determination of chemical composition. In this review, the molecular tools to trace the varietal composition of virgin olive oil and to detect the adulterant oils from other botanical species are summarized.