Detection of refined animal and vegetable fats in adulteration of pure milkfat

Abstract The objective of this research was to evaluate the presence of dehydroxylated sterols in samples of butter adulterated with exogenous refined fat of both animal and vegetable origin. The 3,5‐cholestadiene, derived from the refining treatment, was found to be an index for the addition of refined beef tallow to butter. Moreover, several dehydroxylated phytosterols could be detected in butter adulterated with vegetable oil. The proposed method seemed to be a suitable criterion for detecting adulteration of pure butter with other fats.