Glycidol and 3‐MCPD Analysis Methods for Mono‐ and Diglycerides

Distilled monoglycerides (DMG) and mono‐di‐glycerides (MDG) are commonly used as emulsifiers in various processed foods, e.g., bread, margarine, and ice cream. DMG and MDG are derived from triacylglyceride (TAG) oils, and thus it is speculated that the harmful substances glycidol and 3‐monochloropropane‐1,2‐diol (MCPD) or their esters can also appear in DMG and MDG as they do in edible oil. However, present analysis methods, often developed for MCPD esters and glycidyl esters in TAG oils are not suitable for many DMG and MDG products. Dissolution of the DMG and MDG is the main problem. In this work a method for quantifying content of glycidol esters (GE) and 3‐MCPD using an indirect method quantifying the compounds with GC‐MS has been tested. The development has been developed based on the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Cd 29c method including the modifications implemented by Axel Semrau in the automated procedure for triglycerides. With the proposed procedure it is shown that the new analysis method produces valid results in the range 1–10 ppm, and acceptable results at 0.5 ppm for both 3‐MCPD and glycidol. The method is an important part of providing safe and healthy emulsifier improved food products to consumers in European Commission and the rest of the world. Practical Applications: The European Commission (EU) has requested the emulsifier industry to supply data for GE and MCPD content as a first step in making legislation for maximum content as in edible oils and fats. However, there is no analysis method for emulsifiers (e.g., mono‐ and diglycerides). This work is a contribution to development of such an analysis method. Results of selective ion monitoring SIM glycidol quantification in distilled monoglyceride using the standard curve method and internal standard method are shown. Analysis methods developed for triglycerides do not work for most distilled monoglyceride products.