A Complete Guide to GB/T 46928 / 24893 / 21496-2025: Animal and Vegetable Fats and Oils Testing Upgraded to Align with International Standards

On December 31, 2025, a batch of national standards for animal and vegetable fats and oils testing methods was released collectively, and they have been implemented since July 1, 2026. Three of these standards respectively target the "composition and structure", "safety risks" and "physical quality" of fats and oils:

All three are voluntary method standards (GB/T), but they often serve as the "default methods" in trade arbitration, third-party testing, and enterprise quality control. Let's break them down one by one.

I. GB/T 46928-2025: A Single Injection to Reveal the "Full Family Portrait" of Glycerides

What does it measure?

The main body of fats and oils is triglycerides (TAG), which are partially hydrolyzed during refining, storage, or high-temperature processing, producing diglycerides (DAG), monoglycerides (MAG), and free glycerol. The proportions of these four components reflect the freshness, degree of processing, and functional properties of the oil, and they are core quality indicators for DAG-enriched oils and monoglyceride emulsifiers in particular.

What are the features of the method?

High-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) separates by molecular size: the larger the molecule, the earlier the peak elutes. Therefore, triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, and glycerol elute in sequence, and the contents of all four components can be obtained simultaneously in a single injection. Sample pretreatment is relatively simple, with no derivatization required.

Previously, China already had methods such as GB/T 22328-2008 (determination of 1-monoglyceride and free glycerol content), but there was no national standard capable of "covering all four components in one run". This standard is identically adopted from ISO 18395:2005, filling this gap and allowing domestic data to be directly compared with international laboratories.

II. GB/T 24893-2025: Another Upgrade for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Testing

Why are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) always a regulatory focus for fats and oils?

PAHs mainly enter fats and oils during oilseed drying, roasting (e.g., strong-aroma peanut oil and sesame oil), and through environmental pollution. Among them, benzo[a]pyrene is the most representative and is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

• Under China's GB 2762, the limit for benzo[a]pyrene in fats and oils and their products is 10 μg/kg;

• The EU sets stricter requirements for fats and oils: benzo[a]pyrene ≤ 2.0 μg/kg, and the sum of PAH4 (benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and chrysene) ≤ 10.0 μg/kg.

  
  

For oil exporters, testing benzo[a]pyrene alone is no longer enough — simultaneous multi-component and accurate low-level quantification is the real necessity.

This 2025 edition is a revision adopting international standards, replacing the 2010 edition that had been in effect for fifteen years, aligning with current international methods.

III. GB/T 21496-2025: A "Quick-Test Ruler" for Sediment in Crude Oils

Sediment in crude oils affects storage and transport, pricing, and refining losses, making it a routine delivery indicator in bulk oil trading. The centrifugation method is simple to operate and suitable for rapid batch testing; this revision replaces the 2008 edition and stays consistent with ISO 15301, with the most direct impact on oil trading and quality control at pressing/refining enterprises.

IV. CATO Reference Standard Solutions for Fats and Oils Testing

After the new national standards take effect, in addition to updating SOPs and completing method validation, the most easily underestimated task is taking stock of reference materials: no matter how advanced the method is, if the reference materials are not accurate, the data will not be accurate.

Around the new national standards above, CATO can provide the following series of reference standards:

Glyceride Series (for GB/T 46928-2025)

Note: Click the Cat. No. to view product details (specification / purity / lead time) on the CATO website. Mono-, di- and tri-esters with various other fatty acid chain lengths are available on inquiry and are not listed in the table individually.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Series (for GB/T 24893-2025 / GB 5009.265)

Note: Click the Cat. No. to view product details (specification / purity / lead time) on the CATO website. 18-component / 24-component PAH mixed standards, as well as methanol and acetonitrile solution standards of individual components, are also available.