Fatty Acid Stable Carbon Isotope Ratios Combined with Oxidation Kinetics for Characterization and Authentication of Walnut Oils

Walnut oil is vulnerable to oxidation due to its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and adulteration due to its high price. This study investigated 12 typical walnut oils from six main walnut-producing areas in China, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Rancimat test, gas chromatography (GC), elemental analyzer–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA–IRMS) and GC–IRMS combined with oxidation kinetic analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). The melting and crystallization profiles using DSC indicated that walnut oils with a relatively high crystal onset temperature tended to be more stable against oxidation. Oleic acid was found to be the most characteristic fatty acid in walnut oil, with a content ranging from 13.84 to 35.08%. Two walnut oils with the highest oleic acid contents of 35.08 and 32.78% had the highest activation energies in nonisothermal DSC. Their predicted shelf lives based on the Rancimat test were 3.5–4.0 times longer than that of the oil with the highest α-linolenic acid at 4 °C and 3.1–3.5 times longer at 25 °C. The δ13C values of walnut oils were determined by EA–IRMS, and the δ13C values of fatty acids were determined by GC–IRMS. Fatty acid stable carbon isotope ratios combined with PCA were successfully applied to intuitively discriminate different walnut oils. The results suggested that fatty acid δ13C values determined by IRMS combined with chemometrics and lipid compositions are promising as a powerful means of vegetable oil authentication and discrimination.