Essential oils in feed: seven EU authorisations with chromatographic methods for marker compounds
Between 18 and 29 September 2026 the Official Journal of the EU published seven Commission implementing regulations authorising essential oils of clove, marjoram, rosemary, star anise and nutmeg, citronella oil and a lavender tincture as sensory (flavouring) feed additives for all animal species. Each specifies an analytical method — for the oils, gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) determining a phytochemical marker.
- Markers and methods: eugenol in clove bud and clove leaf oils (GC-FID, ISO 3142 and ISO 3141), β-caryophyllene in the β-caryophyllene-rich fraction of clove leaf oil (ISO 11024), terpinen-4-ol and α-terpineol in marjoram oil, 1,8-cineole and camphor in rosemary oil (ISO 1342), trans-anethole in star anise oil (ISO 11016), citronellal in citronella oil (ISO 3849) and pin-2(3)-ene in nutmeg oil (ISO 3215).
- The Lavandula angustifolia tincture is characterised with three techniques: spectrophotometry (total polyphenols and total flavonoids), GC-FID (linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole and camphor) and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (rosmarinic acid); the same regulation withdraws the tincture of the Lavandula angustifolia × L. latifolia hybrid.
- The specifications set the composition of each additive — e.g. clove bud oil: eugenol 67–85 %, β-caryophyllene 2–16 %, eugenyl acetate 5–15 %, estragole ≤ 0.01 %, methyleugenol ≤ 0.13 %; nutmeg oil may contain up to 12 % myristicin and up to 2.3 % safrole.
- All seven acts require that, when additives are combined, the total content of p-allylalkoxybenzenes (methyleugenol, estragole, elemicin, safrole, myristicin, dillapiol and apiol) in feed materials and compound feed remains below the level resulting from use of the authorised additive with the highest content of these substances. Method details are published by the EU Reference Laboratory for Feed Additives (EURL-FA); the clove oil authorisation runs until 19 October 2036.