What is a GC?

[Guest guest]

since i talk about it so much, i'll repost this. it was forwarded to

me and i'm forwarding it to you all.

 

lets get those standards raised by demanding proof of purity! we are

the aromatherapists in this cottage industry that are setting the

standards of what is and isn't acceptable! this industry will never

be acceptable until we can assure our clients that our therapeutic

oils are the purest, top quality and fresh.

*smile*

chris

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Mary,

 

I'll try to keep this short ... not easy for me ... :-( GC means Gas

Chromatography - it's an analysis of an essential oil to determine the

chemical profile - sort of like a blood test but a lot more

complicated

and more expensive. We also have a test called GC/MS which is GC plus

Mass Spectroscopy - which I prefer, and to simplify it's a mass

detector

to determine the molecular weight of a given chemical component.

 

> What does GC refer to? Mary

 

There are a dozen or so techniques other than GC/MS, Infrared or

Planar

Chromotography being a couple of those in fairly common use, but GC/MS

is the established and reliable technique for analyzing essential

oils.

 

Another technique GC/FT-IR, which stands for Gas

Chromatography/Fourier

Transform Infrared Spectophotometry. This technique is also useful

for

the analysis of EOs since it's possible to create libraries

(archieves)

or use commercial libraries during the analysis. But it is also not

as

popular and simple as GC/MS and it doesn't help the one paying for the

analysis as much as it does the analyst.

 

I'll stick to GC/MS as it's the widely accepted technique and unless I

get into something technically deep - and that's not likely as I'm not

into chemistry projects, it's as much as I'll ever need - or pay

for.

 

The finest equipment can be defeated by a weak analyst - technicians

must know what they're looking for and they have to know the standard

for comparison - that is, what should be the profile of a typical

sample

of Origanum vulgare produced from wild-grown plants harvested in

Central

Anatolia or the expected results of a Lavandula stoechas from France

versus one from Turkey - there will be differences, and that's a very

important reason to know the ORIGIN of an oil.

 

I have all of my oils GC tested for a number of reasons but for the

oils

we produce here in Turkey, it has nothing to do with determining if

the

oil has been adulterated - I know it hasn't as I know it came directly

from the still. But I am looking for the chemical profile to see if

it

fits within the " footprint " or " range " that we think is acceptable for

that oil because even a pure oil can be a mediocre oil.

 

Mediocre oils are (should be) sold as commercial oils to the food,

cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries because when they get through

playing with them, they will have lost their original identity anyway.

Unfortunately, many lower grade oils make it into the AT market ... :-

(

As I'm able to contract my distillation here in Turkey, I test so I

can

avoid accepting commerical quality oils - my target is the AT

industry.

 

Smart chemists can fool a GC but distillers from third world or

emerging

markets can't manipulate oils like this and wouldn't mess with it if

they could as it's too expensive and time-consuming. The French are

extremely good at this, especially with their 40/42 lavender which is

manipulated by man in a well-equipped laboratory - the Great Spirit

doesn't allow the same growing conditions year after year but they

want

consistency in that lavender so they doctor it up a bit. It takes

more

than GC/MS to detect this - but Chiral Column testing can usually do

it

if the analyst is experienced. Normally, they don't try to deceive

you,

they just sell their 40/42 and it's up to the buyer to know what

they're

getting - like I've said many times before, Caveat Emptor ....

 

An experienced analyst looks for what's not there as much as for

what's

there - if you increase one side of the equation, you will decrease

the

other side - pure physics. The absence of a chemical that's normally

detected at .01% tells a lot to the smart analyst. If I increase the

major chemicals to get a more favorable product, I'm lowering the per-

centage of minor trace components - and we don't really know exactly

why

a particular oil has therapeutic value but we can bet that the Great

Spirit didn't put any unnecessary crap in that oil just to fill a

void,

so we logically conclude that upsetting that natural synergy will have

negative effects on the therapeutic value.

 

Most people will tell you their oils are GC tested and that is

normally

pure hogwash. Generally, they're told that by their source and they

believe it (want to believe it) and just pass along the information -

they are generally niave, not dishonest, but I personally see that as

also being just a little bit irresponsible (watch me catch hell for

that

statement!) because I believe we should trust everyone but always lock

our car. I've sold lots of oils in 100 kilogram lots, and I've never

sold an oil without providing a GC test because big buyers want this

and

I also want it because I guarantee that all my products are pure and

unadulterated and my name is far more important to me than money. I'm

not greedy, I just try to keep my ego propped up as that's an inherent

part of my interpretation of what's ethical and moral ...

 

BUT, those who buy those bulk oils sell to wholesalers who pass them

to

retailers who pass them to end-users and I'll bet you a pretty that

you

cannot get a copy of that original GC test that I gave the bulk

buyer -

the first buyer! Why? Danged good question, huh? We can guess the

answer has something to do with identity change - the oil profile may

no

longer resemble the original GC analysis. It's not your retailer who

is

messing with those oils - your retailer is also a victim but they are

helping to victimize themselves by not demanding a copy of that GC!

 

If someone tells you their oils are GC tested, ask them to put up or

shut up. They'll probably give you a lot of shuck and jive but no

GC!

Would you buy a refrigerator or car without a warranty? Would you

buy a

pedigree dog without the AKC papers? But people will buy oils without

proof of purity. If the seller trusts their product, they will have

the

bottles marked with a Lot Number and that Lot Number will correspond

to

a Lot Number on the GC test. Also, that seller will give you a copy

of

that GC if you want it - free! It doesn't matter whether or not you

can

read it but it should give the seller a high pucker factor if they're

willing to risk passing on a phoney GC because some end-user or some

competitor might just get that oil analyzed and expose them as a

fraud~!

 

Without Lot Numbers there is a great potential for a seller to create

an

alibi of error but with Lot Numbers, when they're caught short they

have

no avenue of escape. Folks who buy my oils wholesale and then

rebottle

can guarantee what they sell and can give you a copy of the GC test

for

that oil - if they don't, then I will stop selling to them because

they

are bastardizing my oils and I don't want to see such oils advertised

as

being Origin Turkey! But if they buy only 16 ounces from a source

that

doesn't provide them a copy of a GC, they can't afford to pay $150 and

up to test only 16 ounces of oil so they're running on luck and/or

guts.

 

If any of you want to see what a GC looks like, go this URL and click

on

the oil of choice - I'd recommend you not miss the Roman Chamomile -

URL

http://www.essentialoils.org/aeor/avat/ As I wrote yesterday, I

know

most laypersons can't read a GC so I have the analyst make comments at

the end that can be understood by the average buyer. Also, as I

refuse

around 1/3 of the oils I test, I can also show some tests of mediocre

oils and the reasons for the refusal .... point being - you'll only

see

the good GCs because the oils with bad GCs aren't offered for sale.

 

All unadulterated essential oils are safe if used correctly and

responsibly but some require a lot more attention to detail - like

cinnamon bark. Adulterated oils can be harmful depending on the

nature

of the adulterant used and some folks aren't as ethical as others.

 

Was the explanation short enough ?? .. ;-) Y'all keep smiling, Butch