Development of tocopherols reference material to support quality and authentication control of wheat germ oil

Wheat germ oil has the highest tocopherol content of all-natural vegetable oil. It’s used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food, and dietary supplement products due to its high tocopherol content. Thus, the high marketing and nutritional values have led to an adulteration of this valuable oil. The quality and authentication control of wheat germ oil is based mainly on the quantitative determination of tocopherol concentration. Therefore, NIS has developed new candidate reference material for tocopherols in wheat germ oil to support regulatory authorities and food testing laboratories in their efforts to control oil quality and authenticity. The certification was carried out using two independent sample preparation methods in accordance with ISO 17034 and ISO Guide 35 requirements. The results indicate a sufficient homogeneity and stability of CRM for up to 12 months at 4 ℃.  The traceability of the CRM to SI units was established using the direct primary method. The certified value of α-tocopherol and β-tocopherol and their corresponding expanded uncertainties (k=2.0) were found to be (2033.9±49.8 mg/kg) and (625.4±38.1 mg/kg), respectively.