Gas Chromatographic Determination of Hydrocarbons in Crude Palm Kernel Oil

Abstract

Abstract A method for the determination of hydrocarbons (HCs) in crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) is described. HCs are extracted from CPKO by passing through a silica gel column by using n-hexane as the eluting agent. The eluate is collected for analysis. Identification and confirmation of the HCs in the eluate are performed with the aid of a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass selective detector, and the HCs in CPKO are quantitated by comparison of peak areas with reference to an external standard, eicosane (C20H42). Recoveries and coefficients of variation for 5 samples of oil spiked with 1 - 300 μg/g eicosane were 70.0-86.6% and 3.5-13.2%, respectively. The method was used for the analysis of CPKO suspected of being contaminated with mineral oil.