Understanding Quality and Quality Control of Essential Oils in the Field of Flavours and Fragrances
This article describes quality and quality control within the flavour and fragrance industry, detailing the analytical methods used to verify the compliance, purity, and authenticity of raw materials.
Esméralda Cicchetti
8/11/20252 min read
Understanding Quality and Quality Control of Essential Oils in the Field of Flavours and Fragrances
Quality control is essential in the flavour and fragrance industry to ensure that products meet the highest standards.
It is not merely a formality, but a critical step to ensure compliance, safety, and authenticity of ingredients.
What is quality according to ISO?
According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), quality is defined as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements, whether stated or implied. In other words, a product is considered of high quality if it fully meets the criteria expected by professionals and consumers.
Fundamentals of quality control
Quality control relies on a set of techniques used to verify that requirements are met. Specialized laboratories in flavours and fragrances may use up to 500 analytical procedures for their ingredients. These controls are based on strict standards issued by organisations such as AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation) and ISO.
Key criteria for raw materials
For raw materials (RM), quality control has several specific objectives:
Confirm identity: ensure the product corresponds to what it is supposed to be
Assess purity: identify potential contaminants
Detect adulteration: highlight attempts at falsification
Quantify regulated compounds: measure allergens and other regulated substances
Verify product authenticity and stability
To achieve these objectives, analysts evaluate several aspects according to regulatory frameworks or pharmacopoeial references:
Organoleptic properties: odour, aroma, and taste are carefully assessed
Physicochemical properties: measurements such as density, refractive index, and colour
Specific indices: acid value or peroxide value to assess composition or oxidation state
Chemical composition: identification and quantification of key compounds
Regulatory compliance: pesticides, allergens, and residual solvents are strictly controlled
Authenticity and natural origin: verification of naturalness and compliance is a priority
By following these rigorous protocols, the industry ensures not only the quality of fragrances and flavours, but also consumer safety and trust.
For analytical support related to essential oils, contact us.
References
[1] T. Acree, R. Teranishi (Eds.), Flavour Science: Sensible Principles and Techniques, ACS, 1993.
[2] European Committee for Standardization, Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary, 2000.
[3] R. Berger (Ed.), Flavours and Fragrances: Chemistry, Bioprocessing and Sustainability, Springer, 2007.
[4] G. Matheis, Food Flavorings: Quality Control of Flavourings and Their Raw Materials, 1999.
[5] G. Losing, G. Matheis, H. Romberg, V. Schmidt, Dragoco Report, 1999.
[6] AFNOR Commission T75 A: standards on essential oil composition and analysis.
[7] IFRA: standards and methods related to natural extracts (peroxide index, cosmetic allergens).
