Equipment
Les huiles essentielles sont le cœur de l’activité du laboratoire Pyrenessences Analyses.
Une huile essentielle est le plus souvent obtenue par entraînement à la vapeur d’eau d’une matière première d’origine végétale (distillation), ou par des procédés mécaniques à partir de l’épicarpe des Citrus (expression). On désigne par « synergie aromatique » un mélange d’huiles essentielles.
Certaines huiles essentielles sont normalisées (ISO, AFNOR) ; ces standards indiquent des seuils qui permettent au laboratoire de statuer sur la conformité de vos échantillons concernant les profils chromatographiques et les caractéristiques physiques. Thanks to a regular documentary oversight, we always have the ISO monographs in force. In addition, internal specifications based on the laboratory’s experience have been established for most non-standardized essential oils, and often allow us to comment on your compositional analyses.
The analytical services offered by the laboratory Pyrenessences Analyses on essential oils and synergies:
Gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector
Composition analysis: determination of relative area % of constituents
Chiral analyses: determination of enantiomeric proportions
Principle of operation
The sample, after vaporization in the injector, is carried by a carrier gas into a capillary column coated with a heated stationary phase, which allows the separation of the constituents according to their characteristics (boiling point, polarity, etc…).
The separated organic constituents then arrive in the FID (flame ionization detector). Their combustion produces ions which are converted into an electrical signal.
A chromatogram is then obtained in which each peak corresponds to a detected molecule and is proportional to its quantity.
Gas chromatography with a mass spectrometer
Composition analysis: compounds identification
Specific dosages
Principle of operation
The sample, after its vaporization in the injector, is carried by a carrier gas into a capillary column coated with a heated stationary phase, which allows the separation of the constituents according to their characteristics (boiling point, polarity, etc…).
The constituents thus separated arrive then in the detector: the mass spectrometer. They are then ionized by electronic impact at the source. The ions thus generated are then separated in the quadrupole according to their mass / charge ratio, then detected after their conversion into an amplified electrical signal.
A TIC (Total Ion Chromatogram) is then obtained, each peak corresponding to a mass spectrum allowing to identify the detected molecule.
Gas chromatography with a triple quadrupole
Detecting traces: pesticides, phthalates…
Principle of operation
The sample, after its vaporization in the injector, is carried by a carrier gas into a capillary column coated with a heated stationary phase, which allows the separation of the constituents according to their characteristics (boiling point, polarity, etc…).
The constituents thus separated arrive then in the detector: the triple quadrupole. They are then ionized by electronic impact at the source. The ions thus generated are then separated in a 1st quadrupole according to their mass / charge ratio. Then they collide in a 2nd quadrupole called collision cell, which causes a second fragmentation. The new ions formed during this transition are then separated in a 3rd quadrupole according to their mass / charge ratio, and then detected after their conversion into an amplified electrical signal.
We then obtain an MRM (Multi Reaction Monitoring) signal corresponding to transitions specific to the molecules that we have specifically researched. This analysis technique is very sensitive and very selective.
High-performance liquid chromatography with a UV/Visible detector
Specific analyses of non-volatile and/or heat-sensitive molecules: furocoumarins, …
Principle of operation
The sample in solution is injected into the liquid mobile phase which carries it into a column containing the stationary phase. Depending on their nature, the constituents interact more or less with the stationary phase, which allows them to be separated. They then arrive at the UV/Visible detector whose wavelength is adjusted according to the maximum absorbance of the molecules sought.
Physico-chemical measurement devices
Electronic densimeter
To determine specific gravity
Electronic polarimeter
To determine optical rotation
Abbe refractometer
To determine refractive index
Setaflash
To determine flash point
Automatic titration system
To determine acid and peroxide values
Spectrophotometer
To determine anisidine value and other absorbance measurements