Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Oxford Convention Center, 102 Ed Perry Boulevard Oxford, MS 38655
Event Website
https://oxfordicsb.org/
Start Date
15-4-2024 1:45 PM
End Date
15-4-2024 2:00 PM
Description
The rise in essential oil popularity is creating unprecedented demand worldwide. With the increased demand, the worldwide supply chain is challenged with maintaining consistent quality standards. Some essential oil producers may be motivated to use new and innovative methods to alter their products to meet quality standards and extend their current oil supplies. Climate change is also affecting growing season conditions, leading to changes in essential oil composition compared to past harvests. These factors create challenges for industry in establishing updated quality and commerce specifications beyond traditional ISO, AFNOR, and pharmacopoeia standards for essential oils. To meet these supply chain challenges, Young Living Essential Oils has established relevant processes and testing procedures to establish current essential oil specifications which incorporate these worldwide economic and agricultural challenges. To address potential adulteration, modern analytical techniques including chiral gas chromatography (CGC) and gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) are increasingly used to verify that authentic essential oils are free from dilution or substitution with a similar essential oils or synthetic components. Some keys to a robust essential oil supply chain include direct partnerships and transparent discussions around product specifications with growers. Inherent is the need to directly understand the environmental conditions under which crops are grown, the potential impact on crop harvests, essential oil yield, and the potential impact on worldwide supply. The importance of building impactful relationships directly with growers will be discussed. With resulting natural variation of crops due to current environmental factors, the utilization of essential oil standards as guidelines rather than strict specifications will also be discussed.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Brett, "Challenges of building specifications for essential oils: An industry perspective" (2024). Oxford ICSB. 6.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2024_ICSB/Schedule/6
Publication Date
April 2024
Included in
Challenges of building specifications for essential oils: An industry perspective
Oxford Convention Center, 102 Ed Perry Boulevard Oxford, MS 38655
The rise in essential oil popularity is creating unprecedented demand worldwide. With the increased demand, the worldwide supply chain is challenged with maintaining consistent quality standards. Some essential oil producers may be motivated to use new and innovative methods to alter their products to meet quality standards and extend their current oil supplies. Climate change is also affecting growing season conditions, leading to changes in essential oil composition compared to past harvests. These factors create challenges for industry in establishing updated quality and commerce specifications beyond traditional ISO, AFNOR, and pharmacopoeia standards for essential oils. To meet these supply chain challenges, Young Living Essential Oils has established relevant processes and testing procedures to establish current essential oil specifications which incorporate these worldwide economic and agricultural challenges. To address potential adulteration, modern analytical techniques including chiral gas chromatography (CGC) and gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) are increasingly used to verify that authentic essential oils are free from dilution or substitution with a similar essential oils or synthetic components. Some keys to a robust essential oil supply chain include direct partnerships and transparent discussions around product specifications with growers. Inherent is the need to directly understand the environmental conditions under which crops are grown, the potential impact on crop harvests, essential oil yield, and the potential impact on worldwide supply. The importance of building impactful relationships directly with growers will be discussed. With resulting natural variation of crops due to current environmental factors, the utilization of essential oil standards as guidelines rather than strict specifications will also be discussed.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2024_ICSB/Schedule/6