Analysis of 3-MCPD Esters in Edible Palm Oil by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPD esters) are carcinogenic contaminants found in edible palm oil. To reduce their levels to comply with the European Union regulation (EU Regulation 2020/1322), it is necessary to optimize various parameters in the palm oil refining process. These include controlling the amount of phosphoric acid and temperature during the degumming stage, the amount of bleaching earth, and the temperature during deodorization. Typically, 3-MCPD esters are analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS), both of which are accuracy but time-consuming and costly. This study proposes the application of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) with the Universal Attenuated Total Reflectance (UATR) mode, using an FTIR Spectrum Two instrument (PerkinElmer, USA), scanning in the absorption range of 4000–550 cm-1 to detect the C–Cl functional group, a distinctive component of 3- MCPD esters, which shows absorption in the 850–550 cm-1 range. Analysis of 6 edible palm oil samples revealed 3-MCPD esters levels ranging from 6.9 to13.4 ppm. This demonstrates that FTIR is a technique capable of rapidly analyzing such substances, reducing both the time and cost of analysis. is a useful technique for the rapid analysis of 3-MCPD esters, offering significant reductions in both analysis time and cost.