What is ISO 6321 about?
ISO 6321 specifies two methods for the determination of the melting point in open capillary tubes, commonly known as the slip melting point, of animal and vegetable fats and oils (referred to as fats hereinafter).
Note: If applied to fats with pronounced polymorphism, method A will give different and less satisfactory results than method B. Fats which exhibit pronounced polymorphism are principally cocoa butter and fats containing appreciable quantities of 2-unsaturated, 1,3-saturated triacylglycerols.
Who is ISO 6321 for?
ISO 6321 on animal and vegetable fats and oils is relevant to:
- Animal and vegetable fats and oil manufacturers and suppliers
- Food and cosmetic industry
- Regulatory authorities
- Chemical processing industry
Why should you use ISO 6321?
The slip melting point or slip point is one conventional definition of the melting point of a waxy solid. It is determined by casting a 10 mm column of the solid in a glass tube with an internal diameter of about 1 mm and a length of about 80 mm, which is followed by immersing it in a temperature-controlled water bath. The slip point is the temperature at which the column of the solid begins to rise in the tube due to buoyancy, and because the outside surface of the solid is molten.
ISO 6321 shows us two methods for the determination of the melting point in open capillary tubes. These are:
- Method A is only applicable to animal and vegetable fats that are solid at ambient temperature and which do not exhibit pronounced polymorphism.
- Method B is applicable to all animal and vegetable fats that are solid at ambient temperature and is the method to be used for fats whose polymorphic behaviour is unknown.
These fats and its derivatives are widely used in their market hence quality control procedures in fats are well established and essential. With the help of ISO 6321, we can determine the slip melting point which will help you with the characterization of palm oil and facilitates international trade, making standardization and compliance pivotal.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN ISO 6321:2021 supersedes BS EN ISO 6321:2002, which is withdrawn.
BS EN ISO 6321:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN ISO 6321:2002. These are:
- The requirement to measure the diameters of each capillary tube has been removed
- A footnote stating suggested suppliers of suitable capillary tubes has been included