Analytical Facilities
Benson Co regularly assesses the quality of
essential oils & aromatic chemicals through
the evaluation of purity and identity.
We utilize physical or physiochemical techniques
Using state of the art analytical instruments for
1. Gas Chromatography - Agilent GC 8860
2. Refractive Index, - RXA Anton parr
3. Specific Gravity - DMA 4500 M Anton parr
4. Optical Rotation - MCP 100 Anton parr
5. Melting point
6. Olfactory Evaluation – Focusing on Appearance and Odor.
Instrumental Testing: Gas Chromatography (GC)
Agilent GC 8860
A gas chromatograph (GC) is an analytical
instrument that measures the content of
various components in a sample. The analysis
performed by a gas chromatograph is called
gas chromatography.
Principle of gas chromatography : The sample
solution injected into the instrument enters a
gas stream which transports the sample into a
separation tube known as the "column."
(Helium or nitrogen is used as the so-called
carrier gas.) The various components are
separated inside the column. The detector
measures the quantity of the components that
exit the column. To measure a sample with an
unknown concentration, a standard sample
with known concentration is injected into the
instrument. The standard sample peak
retention time (appearance time) and area are
compared to the test sample to calculate the
concentration
Instrumental Testing : Refractive Index
RXA Anton parr
The measurement of refraction of light rays as they pass through material. This test is performed with the help of a Refractometer. A few drops of an sample under test are put between 2 prisms of the instrument at a known temperature and the index is measured. This testing thus requires very little sample and time; however, refractive index is only qualitative test for essential oils & aromatic chemicals
Instrumental Testing : Specific Gravity
DMA 4500 M Anton parr
Important in determining the quality of an
essential oil or aromatic chemical the technique
may be explained as the ratio of the weight of a
specific volume to the weight of an equal
volume of water at a defined temperature. The
specific gravity of water is 1.
In order to determine specific gravity of a
sample, approximately 10 ml of sample is
needed for analysis using an automated density
meter, which determines the weight of the
sample at a specific temperature. Specific
gravity of the oil is inversely proportional to
the temperature, therefore the temperature
plays a critical role in this determination. Our
instrument is capable of adjusting the pre-set
temperature with an accuracy down to ± 0.01°C
Instrumental Testing: Optical Rotation
MCP 100 Anton parr
Whenever light rays pass through a transparent
material, in addition to refraction, rotation of
plane of polarization can also occur.
This is known as Optical Rotation and is defined
as a degree of angle of rotation.
This rotation can be to the left (levo rotatory /
minus) or to the right (dextro rotatory / plus).
The instrument used to determine optical
rotation is called a polarimeter. It measures the
degree of rotation by passing monochromatic
light through the first of two polarizing plates,
creating a polarized beam.
This beam is then rotated as it passes through the
sample. After passing through the sample, a
second polarizer (analyzer) rotates. When the
analyzer is rotated such that all the light or no
light can pass through, the angle of rotation is
determined. Optical rotation, similarly to
Refractive Index, is a qualitative measure of
optical activity of oils & few aromatic chemicals
Olfactory Evaluation – Focusing on Appearance and Odor
The nose is one of the most efficient tools in
essential oil sensory evaluation. A trained
essential oil analyst can notice even small
differences in odors and can immediately detect
a quality problem with an oil before proceeding
with more sophisticated analytical tests.
An essential oil can be rejected based on a poor
or uncharacteristic odor profile. Although there
are many advancements in the analytical
techniques, organoleptic evaluation can still be
the single most important arbiter of essential oil
quality when a seasoned, trained essential oil
chemist is taking the call
Analytical Services
Contact Us
Benson Co
36 C, Jigani Indl.Area.,
I Phase, Anekal Tq.,
Bengaluru - 560105. INDIA
Phone : +91 +91 99026 99922 / +91 97319 01402 / +91 81050 77050
Email : innovation@bensoncompany.com