Overview
ISO/TS 17383:2014 specifies a capillary gas chromatography (GC) procedure for the qualitative and semi‑quantitative determination of individual triacylglycerols (TAGs or triglycerides) in fats and oils. The method separates triglycerides by retention behavior related to fatty‑acid carbon number and degree of unsaturation and reports composition as normalized percent area. It applies to animal and vegetable fats and mixtures of natural and synthetic triglycerides provided the oil does not have a very high linolenic acid content (e.g., linseed oil) and total TAG chain length does not exceed C60.
Keywords: ISO/TS 17383:2014, triacylglycerol composition, fats and oils, capillary gas chromatography, triglycerides, TAGs
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope & limitations
- Intended for qualitative and semi‑quantitative TAG profiling; not suitable for oils with very high linolenic acid content or TAGs beyond C60.
- Principle
- Separation of TAGs on a highly polar stationary phase; results expressed by normalized peak area (100% method).
- Sample preparation
- Prepare samples per ISO 661; heat/melt solids, filter liquids. Optional purification via SPE silica cartridges (hexane / hexane‑diethyl ether 87:13 v/v) or silica gel column when mono-/di‑glycerides, free fatty acids or polymerized fats are present.
- Instrumentation & conditions
- Capillary GC with cold on‑column injection and FID. Recommended column: high‑temperature fused silica coated with 50–65% phenylmethyl‑polysiloxane, 25–30 m × 0.25 mm i.d., film 0.10–0.15 µm.
- Example oven program in the specification (100 °C hold → ramp up to 370 °C with staged ramps) and hydrogen carrier gas. Injection volume typically 1 μL.
- Identification & quantification
- Identify peaks by relative retention times vs. reference TAGs (e.g., tripalmitin). Calculate percent composition by peak area normalization; verify response factors for quantitative accuracy (acceptable RF typically ≤1.2).
- Precision and reporting
- Interlaboratory precision data, repeatability (r), and reproducibility (R) are provided. Test reports must document methods, results, and any non‑standard operating details.
Applications and users
- Food and edible‑oil quality control laboratories for profiling olive, rapeseed, sunflower and other oils.
- Vegetable and animal fat producers performing composition analysis and batch verification.
- Regulatory and forensic labs assessing oil authenticity, adulteration or labeling claims.
- Research laboratories studying lipid composition, processing effects, and blend formulations.
Related standards
- ISO 661 – Preparation of test sample (normative reference)
- ISO 8420 – Silica gel purification (noted as alternative)
- ISO 5555 – Recommended sampling methods
This standard is essential for laboratories implementing GC‑FID methods for TAG profiling and for organizations needing reproducible, documented procedures for triglyceride composition analysis.