Production and Enrichment of Erucic Acid Methyl Ester Analytical Standards from Natural Oils for Food Control Analysis

Abstract

Foods high in erucic acid (EA), a fatty acid considered a natural toxin, can pose various health risks. Studies have reported that people exposed to high levels of EA are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease, are susceptible to myocardial adiposity, and have increased rates of diabetes. Therefore, in 2019, the European Commission (EC) declared that the maximum EA content in vegetable oils should be no more than 2%. These regulations require EA analysis in import and export food samples. A methyl ester of EA (EAME) standard is required to analyze EA content. In many countries, this analytical standard is not available and is being imported. This study endeavored to economically produce the EAME standard, which is in high demand due to mandated analysis, using natural oils. Initially, the fatty acid amounts in the food samples were analyzed by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection (GC-MS/FID) method. The analyses revealed that mustard seed oil had the lowest EA content, while yellow mustard seed oil had the maximum EA content. The esterification was conducted on the samples containing both high and low EA, resulting in an efficiency of approximately 80%. The crystallization process was subsequently repeated to increase the EA quantity until the highest EAME content was obtained. By this process, 14 different concentrations of EAME ranging from 2.33 to 55.66% were produced. These results demonstrate the first successful production of EAME standards from natural oils that can be used in validation and internal quality control studies for food control analysis.