Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) & Diethyl phthalate (DEP) Presence in Agarwood Oil

Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and Diethyl phthalate (DEP) are synthetic compounds but each batch of agarwood oil we produced and tested contains DOP and DEP below 1% mostly.

It is acceptable percentage in agarwood oil but what can be the possible reason of presence of these chemicals. After producing and testing agarwood oil for decades, we have identified several factors that may be contributing to the presence of DOP and DEP.

One possible explanation for the presence is the use of plastic bags to transport raw materials such as chips and powder before distillation. Opening and cutting these plastic bags cause the presence of small particles in the agarwood chips before distillation and sometimes these bags may contain small plastic particles that can be carried over into the distillation process, resulting in the presence of DOP and DEP. And mostly these plastics particles are unavoidable.

An other possible reason is the storage and transportation of agarwood oil in plastic bottles and jars. It may also contribute to the presence of DOP and DEP. Specially during transportation, temperature fluctuations may cause the plastic to degrade and release these compounds into the oil.