Standards Development

Scope

This standard specifies certain characteristics of the essential oil of lemon myrtle, Backhousia citriodora F.Muell. citral type with a view to facilitate assessment of its quality.

Purpose

Purpose: to provide a standard for trade in this increasingly utilized lemon essential oil product Justification: Backhousia citriodora, citral type (lemon myrtle oil) is becoming an increasingly significant alternative citral source. At the 2003 IFEAT International Conference in Sydney, WT McCartney reported an estimated current annual production of 5 - 8 tonne (Paper presented at the IFEAT International Conference, William McCartney, AN INTRODUCTORY OVERVIEW OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA, Australia and New Zealand: Essential Oils and Aroma Chemicals - Production and Markets’; Sydney, 2-6 Nov. 2003. Pages 3–17 in the Conference Proceedings). In 2014 a report (Max Foster, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation 2013 Emerging animal and plant industries —their value to Australia Publication No.14/069 Project No. PRJ - 008496 http: //www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/14-069.pdf; included the following notes on lemon myrtle on p 72: "Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a tree that is native to the subtropical rainforests of Queensland. The leaves have a high content of citral that gives a distinctive lemon - lime fragrance. The leaves are dried or processed to extract an essential oil. The dried leaves are used as a tea, potpourri or spice; the essential oil is used as a food and beverage flavouring, air freshener, disinfectant and in a range of body care products. Consequently in 2001, Standards Australia published an Australian Standard: AS 4941 – 2001 which was amended in 2011 to clarify the specified content of geraniol. It was recommended that this standard be used as draft for the elaboration of an international standard for this oil. This was approved in October 2018 at the 30th ISO TC54 Essential Oil Committee Meeting in Barcelona where resolution where minute # 10.5 stated:

10.5 Essential oil of lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora F.Muell.), citral type – (Australian proposal) (Doc. ISO/TC 54 N 3068)

The Australian delegation explains the proposal in detail. This item has been included only for information and for checking the interest of the ISO/TC 54 members in the development of this standard.

ISO/TC 54 members consider it interesting to have an ISO standard for this essential oil. The Australian member body is requested to prepare a draft by the end of June 2019, together with the Mandatory information and the Form 04, and to send it to the TC 54 Secretariat which will circulate the documentation for balloting as a new work item proposal of International Standard (NP). (See resolution 446) And Resolution # 446 specified:

Resolution no 446 – Essential oil of lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora F.Muell.), citral type –

(Australian proposal)

ISO/TC 54 members consider it interesting to have an ISO standard for this essential oil. The Australian member body is requested to prepare a draft by the end of November 2019, together with the Mandatory information and the Form 04, and to send it to the TC 54 Secretariat which will circulate the documentation for balloting as a new work item proposal of International Standard (NP).