Consumers have been warned against relying on water tests to determine whether palm oil sold in Lagos markets has been adulterated.
A food and cosmetics consultant, Nurah Oseni, gave the warning on Tuesday at the fourth Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition held at NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja.
Oseni, who spoke on “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control”, said adulterated palm oil could not be conclusively identified through physical observation or a simple water test, stressing the need for scientific testing.
“You cannot physically know an adulterated oil. You also cannot use a water test to know adulterated oil,” she said.
She explained that although a water test might reveal some forms of degradation, it could not conclusively establish that palm oil had been adulterated.
