Bulk Acer Truncatum Seed Oil Extract Supplier — Nervonic Acid 90%+ GC, B2B Wholesale
Valeherb supplies nervonic acid bulk wholesale — extracted from Acer truncatum Bunge (元宝枫) seed oil — across three product lines: ≥90% nervonic acid by GC (fat-soluble), water-soluble microencapsulated powder (2.5%–40%), and a 30% liposomal grade (brown granular form, designed for improved dispersibility). Nervonic acid (cis-15-tetracosenoic acid, C24H46O2) is a very-long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid, first identified in shark brain tissue and subsequently characterised as a structural component of nervonyl sphingolipids in mammalian nervous tissue.[3]
On this page: available grades, why Acer truncatum, research background, formulation applications, sourcing criteria, and regulatory guidance.
Available Grades
| Grade | Form | Solubility |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | ≥90% nervonic acid (GC) | Fat-soluble |
| Microencapsulated Powder | 2.5% – 40% nervonic acid | Water-soluble |
| Liposomal | 30% nervonic acid, brown granules | Water-dispersible; designed for improved absorption |
All grades are extracted from Acer truncatum seed oil and verified by GC per batch. Custom concentration and delivery format available on request. MOQ, lead time, and current pricing available on inquiry. For a full technical comparison of these three delivery formats — including formulation phase compatibility and stability considerations — see Nervonic Acid Delivery Formats: Fat-Soluble vs Water-Soluble Microencapsulated vs Liposomal.
Why Acer Truncatum
Nervonic acid occurs naturally in several plant oil sources, but its concentration correlates closely with erucic acid content within a given seed oil, since erucic acid is nervonic acid’s direct biosynthetic precursor.[1] Conventional edible rapeseed and canola varieties have been specifically bred toward very low erucic acid content for food-safety reasons — and because nervonic acid content tracks with erucic acid, these low-erucic varieties correspondingly carry very little nervonic acid, making them commercially inefficient as an extraction source. Acer truncatum seed oil, by contrast, naturally carries nervonic acid in the 3.85%–8% range across studied populations, several times higher than low-erucic commercial rapeseed oil, making it a substantially more concentrated and efficient raw material for nervonic acid extraction.[1],[2] Nervonic acid content also varies meaningfully by growing region and cultivar within Acer truncatum itself — Valeherb sources from characterised regional stock to maintain batch consistency. For a full comparison of Acer truncatum against other plant sources considered for nervonic acid extraction, see Acer Truncatum vs Rapeseed Oil: Why Source Matters for Nervonic Acid Purity.
It’s worth understanding that nervonic acid sourcing actually involves three separate percentages, not one. First, the seed kernel itself yields oil at roughly 37.5% of its weight — this is simply how much oil pressing produces. Second, within that oil, nervonic acid makes up somewhere between 3.85% and 8% of the total fatty acid profile — this is a compositional fact about the oil itself. Third, after extraction and purification, the finished ingredient we supply is standardized to ≥90% nervonic acid by GC — this is the specification on our COA. These three numbers describe three different stages of the same raw material and are not interchangeable, so when comparing specifications across suppliers, it’s worth confirming which stage a quoted percentage actually refers to.
Research Background
Provided as scientific context for formulators, not as claims for any Valeherb product.
Structural Role in Sphingomyelin
Classical lipid biochemistry research established that nervonic acid, together with lignoceric acid, accounts for a substantial proportion of the fatty acid composition of sphingomyelin in the white matter of the human brain and peripheral nerve tissue, with this proportion changing measurably across the lifespan as myelin composition matures.[3] Nervonic acid combines with sphingosine via an amide bond to form nervonyl sphingolipids, a compositional feature of myelin sheaths that has been characterised in analytical lipid chemistry literature for decades.[4] This is a descriptive structural finding regarding lipid composition, not a claim regarding the effect of dietary or supplemental nervonic acid intake on any health condition.
Dietary Source Composition
Comparative agronomic research on Acer truncatum across multiple Chinese growing regions has characterised the seed oil’s fatty acid profile in detail, confirming nervonic acid alongside linoleic acid, oleic acid, and erucic acid as the principal fatty acid constituents, and documenting the correlation between growing region, cultivar, and final nervonic acid yield.[1],[2]
Formulation Applications
- Edible oil products: ≥90% GC grade for functional oil blends and fortified cooking oil formulations
- Dairy products: Water-soluble microencapsulated powder (2.5%–40%) for fortified milk, yogurt, and dairy-based functional beverages, where fat-soluble grades are not compatible with the aqueous matrix
- Functional beverages: Water-soluble microencapsulated or liposomal grades for direct dispersion in beverage formats
- Tablet and pressed candy formats: Powder grades suited to compression into tablet or pressed-candy delivery formats for general dietary fatty acid fortification
Sourcing Criteria
| Criterion | What to Require |
|---|---|
| Species & Source | Acer truncatum Bunge seed oil confirmed on COA — distinguish from lower-yield alternative sources (e.g., low-erucic rapeseed, mustard seed oil) which are commercially inefficient for nervonic acid extraction |
| Purity Verification | Nervonic acid content by GC per batch, matched to grade (≥90% standard, or the specified microencapsulated/liposomal concentration) |
| Format Match | Confirm fat-soluble, water-soluble microencapsulated, or liposomal format matches your target formulation phase — these are not interchangeable at equivalent nervonic acid content |
| Third-Party COA | Nervonic acid content (GC), heavy metals (Pb, Hg, Cd per applicable limits), pesticide residues, microbial limits, moisture — per production batch from accredited laboratory |
Regulatory Guidance
- China: Acer truncatum seed oil was approved as a novel food ingredient by China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (Announcement No. 9, 2011), with defined compositional requirements (linoleic acid ≥30%, oleic acid ≥15%, nervonic acid ≥3.0%) and an explicit restriction against use in infant food and a recommended intake of ≤3g/day for the seed oil itself. This regulatory scope does not extend to infant or young-child applications
- US (FDA): Nervonic acid has no FDA-specific regulation as an isolated ingredient; compliance is assessed against GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) principles for the intended use and concentration. Confirm current GRAS status determination for your specific application
- EU: Nervonic acid is recognised as a nutrient with defined quality standards, including heavy metal limits (e.g., lead, mercury, cadmium per applicable novel food or nutrient specifications) — confirm current EU novel food status for your specific product category
- General: Structure/function claims regarding general dietary fatty acid nutrition are supportable with published compositional research; claims referencing specific disease conditions, cognitive enhancement, or neurodevelopmental outcomes require drug-level substantiation and are not supported by current DSHEA or equivalent regulatory frameworks in major markets
