Determination of Palm Oil Sustainability and Traceability using GC-IMS

Palm oil is used in many food and cosmetic products by companies such as Cadbury, Nestle and Unilever, however palm oil production is currently not very sustainable and many forests are being cut down to plant new trees for the growing global demand of palm oil. These companies and the European parliament want to make palm oil more sustainable and ensure that it is farmed without deforestation and habitat degradation, particularly in South-East Asia. However, at present there are no validated methods for the traceability of palm oil apart from paper trails, which can be subject to misuse. Therefore, there is a need for an analytical test that can authenticate and trace where palm oil was farm. This will lead to certification of the palm oil and the ability to prove its sustainability. IMSPEX using their GC-IMS technology, have the ability to develop this sustainability and traceability test.