Development and application of DPPH impregnated paper based color sensor disc to detect vegetable oils addition in cow ghee

Ghee is a premium product in Southeast Asia and is prone to adulteration with vegetable oils/ fats. The main aim of the study was to develop an easy-to-use paper-based sensor to detect this adulteration. Hence, a protocol involving hexane and acetonitrile for the extraction of synthetic antioxidants from adulterated ghee and its rapid detection using DPPH was standardized. Paper-based discs impregnated with 4 mM DPPH were developed. The developed paper-based disc sensors worked well and their response time was indirectly proportional to the antioxidant concentration (0.0025–0.02%). Using the developed disc sensors, the palm oil, and sunflower oil added to cow ghee @2.5% or more, and 1% or more, respectively could be detected. The shelf life of the developed sensors was 30 and 90 days at 30 °C and 4–6 °C, respectively. In stored cow ghee samples, the response time of the sensors increased as the storage period of ghee samples increased. The cutoff limit to declare the sample of cow ghee as unadulterated was fixed to 60 min. Based on the response time of the sensor, the level of detection of vegetable oils in stored cow ghee was found to be 2.5%.