Overview - ISO 3214:2000 (Oil of Litsea cubeba)
ISO 3214:2000 is the international standard that defines quality criteria and test requirements for Oil of Litsea cubeba (Litsea cubeba Pers.), an essential oil widely used in flavors, fragrances and aromatherapy. Published as the second edition in 2000, this standard replaces the 1974 edition and provides a normative chromatographic profile and physico‑chemical limits to help assess oil authenticity and consistency.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard specifies measurable characteristics and test methods (referencing other ISO and national methods) including:
- Appearance and odor: mobile, clear liquid; color pale yellow to dark yellow; odor fresh, citral/verbena-like.
- Physical constants:
- Relative density at 20 °C: 0.880 – 0.892
- Refractive index at 20 °C: 1.480 – 1.490
- Optical rotation at 20 °C: +3° to +12°
- Solubility: miscible with 70% ethanol using no more than 3 volumes of ethanol per 1 volume of oil to obtain a clear solution.
- Chemical markers:
- Citral content (neral + geranial): minimum 70% by GC (internal standard method).
- Carbonyl index (expressed as citral): minimum 272, corresponding to at least 74% carbonyl constituents.
- Chromatographic profile (normative): lists representative constituents and percentage ranges (examples include nerol/neral, geranial, limonene, linalool, citronellal). The profile is used to evaluate compositional conformity.
- Sampling and test sample sizes: minimum sample volume 30 ml; carbonyl test sample mass 1.2–2 g.
- Flash point: Annex B gives an average value of +71 °C (informative).
Annex A provides typical gas‑chromatography (GC) conditions (capillary columns, temperature programs, FID detection, nitrogen carrier gas) as guidance for generating chromatograms.
Applications and users
ISO 3214 is primarily used by:
- Quality control and analytical laboratories in the flavor, fragrance and essential oil industries
- Producers and processors of Litsea cubeba essential oil for product specification and batch release
- Regulatory, transport safety and insurance stakeholders assessing flammability and labeling
- Purchasing/specification teams and exporters/importers who need objective compositional criteria
Using ISO 3214 helps detect adulteration, ensure batch-to-batch consistency, and support compliance with trade and safety requirements.
Related standards
ISO 3214 cross‑references several related documents for test methods and guidance, including:
- ISO 11024‑1 / 11024‑2 (GC profile guidelines)
- ISO 1279 (carbonyl index)
- ISO 279, 280, 592, 875 (density, refractive index, rotation, ethanol miscibility)
- ISO 212 (sampling) and NF T 75‑414 (citral by GC)
- ISO/TR 11018 (flash point guidance)
Keywords: ISO 3214, Oil of Litsea cubeba, Litsea cubeba essential oil, citral content, chromatographic profile, essential oil quality, GC analysis.