The Commercial Significance of Oil Content Analysis: The Position of Official Methods

Abstract

There are many anecdotal claims that “the error in the measurement of proximateX is costing/losing the industry millions.” Such a charge has been heard in themethods and commodity committees of many national and international organiza-tions. On the other hand, contractual specifications between suppliers and con-sumers of raw materials are being written much more tightly than ever before. Theresult is that the precision and accuracy of the methods of analysis used to supportthese contracts are routinely being questioned. Such circumstances have led theFederation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations Ltd. (FOSFA International) tostudy the contractual method for sunflower seed oil content and modify it toinclude the determination of moisture, both before and after grinding before the oilextraction step. The original FOSFA Contractual Method was previously adoptedby ISO/TC 34/SC 2 (Oleaginous Seeds and Fruits and Oilseed Meals) and devel-oped as ISO 659; it is also reproduced as AOCS Am 2-93.Other standards development organizations (SDO) such as AOCS, AOACInternational, CEN, ISO, and Codex Alimentarius are faced with similar problemsas the globalization of world standards follows the need to open up world trade.The existence of many versions of the same analytical method in the standardsarena is complicated by the routine practice of translating these standards intocompany standard operating procedures (SOP) and the existence of more variantmethodologies. Differences in regional customs, training, and language also con-tribute to the diversity of analytical methods.All of these considerations have a large effect on both the trade of oilseeds andthe introduction of new or modified, value-added crops into the specialty and nichemarkets and the acceptance of improvements to existing commodity oilseeds.