Beta Analytic Case Studies - Essential Oils
We conducted two case studies, applying carbon-14 analysis to identify the presence of petrochemical-derived adulterants and verify the natural source of commercially available garlic oil and peppermint oil samples.
Beta Analytic Garlic Oil Case Study
| Sample Code |
Botanical Name |
Label Claim |
Biobased% |
pMC Value |
dpm/g |
GC-MS |
| Garlic Oil #1 |
Allium sativum |
Pure Garlic Essential Oil 100% Pure
Therapeutic Grade Steam Distilled - Mexico |
0% |
< 0.44 |
0 +/- 0.06 |
Garlic Oil
PASS |
| Garlic Oil #2 |
Allium sativum
(bulb) |
Garlic 100% Pure, Undiluted Essential Oil
Steam Distilled - China |
67% |
67.93 +/- 0.19 |
9.21 +/- 0.03 |
Garlic Oil
PASS |
| Garlic Oil #3 |
Allium sativum
(bulb) |
100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil
no fillers, additives, bases or carriers added
Steam Distilled - China |
100% |
101.60 +/- 0.25 |
13.78 +/- 0.03 |
Garlic Oil
PASS |
| Garlic Oil #4 |
Allium sativum
(bulb) |
Garlic Essential Oil - 100% Pure Steam
Distilled - China |
0% |
< 0.44 |
0 +/- 0.06 |
Garlic Oil
PASS |
| Garlic Oil #5 |
Artificial |
Garlic Oil blend - Artificial |
0% |
< 0.44 |
0 +/- 0.06 |
Garlic Oil
PASS |
GC-MS results confirm that these products have the chemical composition of garlic oil but only Carbon-14 analysis was able to identify the presence of petrochemical-derived adulterants. A product that is 100% biobased is 100% sourced from natural sources (e.g. plants, animals).
Beta Analytic Peppermint Oil Case Study
| Sample Code |
Botanical Name |
Label Claim |
Biobased% |
pMC Value |
dpm/g |
| Peppermint Oil #01 |
Mentha piperita |
100% Pure and Natural, Therapeutic Grade -
Steam Distilled |
100% |
100.46 +/- 0.22 |
13.62 +/- 0.03 |
| Peppermint Oil #02 |
Mentha piperita |
100% Pure and Natural, Therapeutic Grade
Essential Oil - Steam Distilled |
100% |
100.93 +/- 0.22 |
13.69 +/- 0.03 |
| Peppermint Oil #03 |
Mentha piperita |
100% Natural Essential Oil - Steam Distilled |
100% |
101.89 +/- 0.21 |
13.82 +/- 0.03 |
| Peppermint Oil #04 |
Mentha piperita |
100% Pure Peppermint Oil, 100% Pure & Natural,
Pure Therapeutic Grade - Steam Distilled |
49% |
48.91 +/- 0.15 |
6.63 +/- 0.02 |
| Peppermint Oil #05 |
Mentha piperita |
100% Pure and Natural Peppermint Oil -
Steam Distilled |
1% |
0.63 +/- 0.03 |
0.09 +/- 0 |
Biobased % indicates the percentage carbon from "natural" (plant or animal by-product) versus "synthetic" (petrochemical) sources. A 100% biobased material is entirely sourced from plants or animal by-products while 0% indicates it is wholly sourced from petrochemical sources. A value in between represents a mixture of natural and fossil sources.
