Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 of 11 July 1991 on the characteristics of olive oil and olive-residue oil and on the relevant methods of analysis (c. 2568)

ANNEX XI U.K. DETERMINATION OF VOLATILE HALOGENATED SOLVENTS CONTENT OF OLIVE OIL

4. PROCEDURE U.K.

4.1. Exactly weigh around 3 g of oil in a glass flask (not to be reused); hermetically seal it. Place it in a thermostat at 70 °C for one hour. Using a syringe carefully remove 0,2 to 0,5 ml of the head space. Inject this into the column of the gas chromatography apparatus regulated as follows: U.K.

• injector temperature: 150 °C,

• column temperature: 70 to 80 °C,

• detector temperature: 200 to 250 °C.

Other temperatures may also be used provided the results remain equivalent.

4.2. Reference solutions: prepare standard solutions using refined olive oil with no trace of solvents with concentrations ranging from 0,05 to 1 ppm (mg/kg) and corresponding to the presumed content of the sample. The halogenated solvents may be diluted using pentane. U.K.

4.3. Quantitative assessment: correlate the surfaces or the elevations of the peaks of the sample and of the standard solution of the concentration presumed closest. If the deviation is greater than 10 % the analysis must be repeated in comparison with another standard solution until the deviation is within 10 %. The content is determined on the basis of the average of the elementary injections. U.K.

4.4. Expression of results: in ppm (mg/kg). The detection limit for the method is 0,01 mg/kg. U.K.