prEN ISO 12966-4

Animal and vegetable fats and oils - Gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters - Part 4: Determination by capillary gas chromatography (ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)

This part of ISO 12966 specifies a method for the determination of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) derived by transesterification or esterification from fats, oils, and fatty acids by capillary gas chromatography (GLC). Fatty acid methyl esters from C4 to C24 can be separated using this part of ISO 12966 including saturated fatty acid methyl esters, cis- and trans-monounsaturated fatty acid methyl esters, and cis- and trans-polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl esters.
The method is applicable to crude, refined, partially hydrogenated, or fully hydrogenated fats, oils, and fatty acids derived from animal and vegetable sources, and fats extracted from foodstuff.
Milk and milk products (or fat coming from milk and milk products) are excluded from the scope of this part of ISO 12966.
This part of ISO 12966 is not applicable to di-, tri-, polymerized and oxidized fatty acids, and fats and oils.
A method for the determination of the composition of fatty acid methyl esters expressed by area % in liquid vegetable oils is proposed in Annex E.

Tierische und pflanzliche Fette und Öle - Gaschromatographie von Fettsäuremethylestern - Teil 4: Bestimmung mittels Kapillargaschromatographie (ISO/DIS 12966‑4:2025)

Corps gras d’origines animale et végétale - Chromatographie en phase gazeuse des esters méthyliques d’acides gras - Partie 4: Détermination par chromatographie capillaire en phase gazeuse (ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)

Živalske in rastlinske maščobe in olja - Plinska kromatografija metilnih estrov maščobnih kislin - 4. del: Določevanje s kapilarno plinsko kromatografsko metodo (ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 30-Nov-2026
• ICS: 67.200.10 - Animal and vegetable fats and oils
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 307 - Oilseeds, vegetables and animal fats and oils and their by-products - Methods of sampling and analys
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 307 - Oilseeds, vegetables and animal fats and oils and their by-products - Methods of sampling and analys
• Current Stage: 4020 - Submission to enquiry - Enquiry
• Start Date: 08-May-2025
• Completion Date: 08-May-2025
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN ISO 12966-4:2025 - Animal and vegetable fats and oils - Gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters - Part 4: Determination by capillary gas chromatography (ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)

Relations

• Revises: EN ISO 12966-4:2015 - Animal and vegetable fats and oils - Gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters - Part 4: Determination by capillary gas chromatography (ISO 12966-4:2015)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-julij-2025
Živalske in rastlinske maščobe in olja - Plinska kromatografija metilnih estrov
maščobnih kislin - 4. del: Določevanje s kapilarno plinsko kromatografsko metodo
(ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)
Animal and vegetable fats and oils - Gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters -
Part 4: Determination by capillary gas chromatography (ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)
Tierische und pflanzliche Fette und Öle - Gaschromatographie von
Fettsäuremethylestern - Teil 4: Bestimmung mittels Kapillargaschromatographie
(ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)
Corps gras d’origines animale et végétale - Chromatographie en phase gazeuse des
esters méthyliques d’acides gras - Partie 4: Détermination par chromatographie capillaire
en phase gazeuse (ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN ISO 12966-4
ICS:
67.050 Splošne preskusne in General methods of tests and
analizne metode za živilske analysis for food products
proizvode
67.200.10 Rastlinske in živalske Animal and vegetable fats
maščobe in olja and oils
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/DIS 12966-4
ISO/TC 34/SC 11
Animal and vegetable fats and
Secretariat: BSI
oils — Gas chromatography of fatty
Voting begins on:
acid methyl esters —
2025-05-08
Part 4:
Voting terminates on:
2025-07-31
Determination by capillary gas
chromatography
Corps gras d'origines animale et végétale — Chromatographie en
phase gazeuse des esters méthyliques d'acides gras —
Partie 4: Détermination par chromatographie capillaire en phase
gazeuse
ICS: 67.200.10
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
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Reference number
ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025(en)
DRAFT
ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025(en)
International
Standard
ISO/DIS 12966-4
ISO/TC 34/SC 11
Animal and vegetable fats and
Secretariat: BSI
oils — Gas chromatography of fatty
Voting begins on:
acid methyl esters —
Part 4:
Voting terminates on:
Determination by capillary gas
chromatography
Corps gras d'origines animale et végétale — Chromatographie en
phase gazeuse des esters méthyliques d'acides gras —
Partie 4: Détermination par chromatographie capillaire en phase
gazeuse
ICS: 67.200.10
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENTS AND APPROVAL. IT
IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AND MAY NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNTIL
PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
© ISO 2025
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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Published in Switzerland Reference number
ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025(en)
ii
ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025(en)
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Principle . 2
5 Reagents and materials . 2
5.1 Reference standards .2
5.1.1 Reference fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) .2
5.1.2 Fats and oils with certified fatty acid composition .3
5.1.3 Quantitative FAME standard mixture containing cis and trans fatty acid methyl
esters from C4:0 to C22:6 .3
5.1.4 Calibration FAME standard solution at 2 mg/ml for the calculation of the
correction factors .3
5.2 Internal standards .3
5.3 Iso-octane (2,2,4-trimethyl pentane) .4
5.4 Methyl tert-Butyl ether (MTBE) (2-Methoxy-2-methylpropane) .4
5.5 n-Hexane .4
5.6 n-Heptane .4
5.7 Qualitative cis and trans isomers standard mixture solution .4
5.8 Dichloromethane (Methylene chloride) .5
6 Apparatus . 5
7 Sampling . 5
8 Preparation of test sample . 5
9 Preparation of methyl esters from fats, oils, and fatty acids . 6
10 Procedure . 6
10.1 General .6
10.2 GC conditions .6
10.3 Performance check .6
11 Calculations . 7
11.1 Qualitative analysis and peak identification .7
11.2 Quantitative analysis .8
11.2.1 Fatty acid methyl esters quantification, by mass (g/100 g) .9
11.2.2 Fatty acid methyl esters quantification, by area % .9
11.2.3 Butyric acid and caproic acid methyl esters quantification (only), by mass
(g/100 g) in fat containing short chain fatty acids .9
11.2.4 Total trans fatty acid methyl esters quantification (only), by mass (g/100 g) .10
11.3 Expression of the results for food labelling .10
12 Precision .11
12.1 Results of interlaboratory test .11
12.2 Repeatability .11
12.3 Reproducibility .11
13 Test report .11
Annex A (informative) Theoretical flame ionization detector correction factor (TCF) for fatty
acid methyl esters (FAMEs) .12
Annex B (informative) Examples of chromatograms . 14
Annex C (informative) Elution zone of the trans fatty acid methyl esters (TFA) . 19

iii
ISO/DIS 12966-4:2025(en)
Annex D (informative) Stoichiometric factors (St(FA)) for converting fatty acid methyl esters
(FAME) to fatty acids (FA) .25
Annex E (informative) Determination of the composition of fatty acid methyl esters expressed
by area % in liquid vegetable oils .26
Annex F (informative) Results of an interlaboratory trial .28
Bibliography .
...