Wheat Germ Oil

Wheat germ oil is pressed from the embryo of the wheat kernel, a fraction that accounts for only 2-3% of the grain by weight, which is why the oil carries the yield economics it does. It is bought for its vitamin E. Published analyses put total tocopherols at roughly 2,000-3,100 mg/kg, with one detailed profile at 2,188 mg/kg comprising 53.9% alpha, 18.2% beta, 22.5% gamma and 5.4% delta tocopherol, and alpha-tocopherol alone reported at 100-300 mg per 100 g of oil - the highest level recorded among common edible oils. The fatty acid backbone is linoleic-dominant: linoleic acid 49-60%, palmitic 11-19%, oleic 14-25% and alpha-linolenic 4-10%, with about 1% stearic. Minor fractions include policosanols with octacosanol among them, phytosterols such as beta-sitosterol and campesterol, carotenoids and steryl ferulates. CAS 68917-73-7, INCI Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil. That same composition makes the oil fragile. A heavy polyunsaturate load combined with a large unsaponifiable fraction oxidises quickly, so Thovek presses cold, filters rather than refines where the buyer wants native tocopherols intact, and ships nitrogen-blanketed in opaque or amber packaging with a shorter declared shelf life than most vegetable oils. Refined and winterised grades are available where a lighter colour, milder cereal note or clearer cold behaviour matters, at some cost to the tocopherol figure, and supercritical CO2 extraction is offered for solvent-free lots. Every consignment ships with tocopherol content by HPLC, fatty acid profile by GC, acid value, peroxide value and heavy metals. The allergen position is the single most commercially important fact about this product, and it is the one buyers most often get wrong. Wheat germ oil is wheat-derived. Under EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex II it must be declared as a cereal containing gluten, and no exemption covers it. In the United States, FDA treats highly refined oils as exempt from the 'Contains' statement, but cold-pressed and crude oils fall outside that exemption and must be declared in both the ingredient list and the Contains statement. Cold-pressed wheat germ oil should not carry a gluten-free claim unless the specific lot has been tested below 20 ppm; refined lots can often meet that threshold but it must be demonstrated, not assumed. Beyond wheat, the oil is free from milk, egg, fish, crustacean, soy, peanut, tree nut and sesame. The oil itself is plant-derived, vegan and vegetarian with no bovine, porcine or marine material; where it is filled into softgels, the shell decides the final declaration. Manufactured under FSSAI licence with ISO 22000 and HACCP systems; organic, halal and kosher documentation on request. Thovek describes composition and established nutrient function only and makes no therapeutic or disease claim.