Gas chromatographic method for determining free fatty acids in cheese

Summary A rapid gas chromatographic method for the analysis of individual free fatty acids (FFA) in cheese has been developed. Lipds were extract from a cheese paste acidified with diethyl ether and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAM) was used for converting the FFA to TMA-soaps, which are transformed to methyl esters in the chromatographic injector. The effect of lactic acid was determined. The reproducibility of the method was studied and the coefficient of variation for the total FFA was found to be 2.2%. Recovery of individual FFA was in the range 87 to 106%.     

Determination of short-chain free fatty acids in lipolyzed milk fat by capillary electrophoresis

The objective of this study was to monitor the release of short-chain free fatty acids (FFA) from milk fat during hydrolysis with lipase using capillary electrophoresis. Sample and run buffer allowed FFA to be maintained in solution by using cyclodextrin and methanol. Indirect UV detection at 270 nm was used, employing p-anisate as a chromophore. Calibration curves constructed for each individual FFA followed linear relationships with highly significant (p < 0.01) correlation coefficients. Electrophoretic FFA profiles of fresh milk fat and lipolyzed milk fat showed marked qualitative and quantitative differences. Butanoic acid (C4) was found in a concentration of 64 ppm, while hexanoic (C6) and octanoic (C8) acids were found in concentrations of 3.8 ppm in fresh milk fat. After a 60-min hydrolysis with commercial lipase, FFA released from milk fat consisted mainly of high concentrations (ppm) of butanoic (C4) (900), followed by hexanoic (C6) (427), octanoic (C8) (282), decanoic (C10) (92), pentanoic (C5) (47), and dodecanoic (C12) (37.5) acids. Ratios of FFA that were associated with flavor balance were calculated. The application of CE for lipolysis monitoring in milk fat offers a simple and fast method for the determination of FFA. Quantitative data can be obtained in 20 min, including sample preparation. The lengthy and laborious steps required in traditional chromatographic techniques, such as lipid extraction, FFA isolation, and derivatization, were not required in this CE method. The implementation of CE for milk fat lipolysis monitoring may be a useful quality control tool for dairy flavor development and production.     

Simultaneous quantification of total medium- and long-chain fatty acids in human milk by capillary gas chromatography with split injection

Four different quantification methods for the capillary gas chromatographic determination of medium-chain fatty acids (6:0-12:0) and myristic acid in human milk samples, using a split injector, were compared. Odd-carbon-numbered fatty acids (5:0-17:0) were added as internal standards. Each medium-chain fatty acid and myristic acid was calculated on the basis of: the peak area of the internal standard with one methylene group less; the peak area of the internal standard with one methylene group more; half the sum of the peak areas of the internal standards with one methylene group less and more (bracketting method); the peak area of 17:0. The peak-area ratio of each analyte and 17:0 in a standard was found to be subject to an unacceptably high coefficient of variation. From the methods using internal standards with one methylene group more and less, the bracketting method was found to be the best, resulting in recoveries close to 100%, with the lowest coefficients of variation. The method was applied for the determination of the fatty acid composition of mature milk samples of 47 Cura?aoan women.     

Rapid analysis of non-esterified fatty acids as methyl esters from different biological specimens by gas chromatography after one-step esterification

A rapid gas chromatographic method for the determination of medium-chain and long-chain free fatty acids (C14:0 to C24:0 fatty acids) from different biological specimens is presented. After a rapid one-step transesterification method in methanol-acetyl chloride (50:1, v/v), fatty acid methyl esters were extracted into n-hexane and analysed on a 15-m Durabond-Wax column within a 12-min chromatographic run. The detection limit is 500 pg per injection.     

Improved gas chromatographic method for the determination of the individual free fatty acids in cheese using a capillary column and a PTV injector

Summary A gas chromatographic method with a capillary column and a programmed temperature vaporizer injector has been used to analyze the individual free fatty acids in cheese. The lipids were extracted from an acidified cheese slurry with diethyl ether and treated with tetramethylamonium hydroxide (TMAH) to convert the free fatty acids to tetramethylammonium soaps (TMA-soaps), which were subsequently pyrolyzed to methyl esters in the injector. Carrying out injection at the initial column temperature resulted in lower dispersion of the results, but the solvent front prevented quantitative determination of butyric and caproic acids, and an injector temperature of 300°C was therefore employed. Under the conditions tested, trimethylamine (tma) flash-off did not affect the determinations. The accuracy of the method improved at higher free fatty acid contents (coefficient of variation of 0.53% for a total free fatty acid content of 9000 mg/kg as opposed to 7.0% for a total free fatty acid content of 1400 mg/kg). The recovery rate for individual free fatty acids ranged between 91 and 103%.     

Analysis of lipopolysaccharides by methanolysis, trifluoroacetylation, and gas chromatography on a fused-silica capillary column

A gas chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of fatty acids and sugars of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) has been developed. The sample (1 mg or less) is methanolyzed at 85°C overnight in 2 M HCl in methanol. The released methyl esters and methyl glycosides are trifluoroacetylated and chromatographed on a methylsilicone-impregnated fused-silica capillary column. This column resolves all ordinary LPS sugars and fatty acids, and quantitative analysis is possible, including 2-deto-3-deoxyoctanoic acid (KDO), glucosamine and heptoses. 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses show some thermal degradation at 85°C during methanolysis, but this can be overcome by lowering the temperature to 37°C. For KDO the higher temperature similarly causes some degradation, but a reproducile response factor was found. The method appears to be useful for analysis of purified LPS as well as a means for monitoring for LPS content during purification of bacterial antigents of different kinds.     

Free fatty acid determination in plasma by GC-MS after conversion to Weinreb amides

Circulating free fatty acids (FFAs) play important physiological roles as contributing components in cellular structure as well as energy utilization. Elevated levels of circulating FFAs are associated with metabolic aberrations in humans. FFAs differ in chain length and saturation and may be altered in metabolically dysregulated conditions, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Potentially, alterations in circulating levels of specific FFAs could also be important in terms of prognostic value. Various methods have been used to analyze FFAs. In this study, a straightforward and accurate method for the determination of FFAs in plasma has been established and evaluated, through conversion of plasma FFAs into acid fluorides followed by conversion to Weinreb amides (dimethylamide). The method is mild, efficient, selective, and quantitative for FFAs, when analyzed with capillary gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Standard curves were linear over the range of 1,000–20,000 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient (r ²) of 0.998, and coefficient of variation of triplicate analysis was <10 %. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique was reproducible and repeatable, and recoveries were above 90 %. From the generated MS spectra, five specific FFAs were identified. An explicit interest was the quantification of palmitate (C16:0) and palmitoleate (C16:1), which have been connected with detrimental and positive effects on the insulin-producing beta cells, respectively. The results demonstrate the suitability of Weinreb amides for efficient and rapid isolation of FFAs in plasma, prior to quantitative GC-MS analysis. We suggest that the method can be used as a routine standardized way of quantifying FFAs.     

Profiling of esterified fatty acids as biomarkers in the blood of dengue fever patients using a microliter‐scale extraction followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

An improved gas chromatography with mass spectrometry procedure was developed to highlight the esterified fatty acids in 100 μL blood of dengue fever patients in the early febrile phase versus healthy volunteers. 24 adult patients and 24 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The recoveries of targeted esterified fatty acids content were in the range of 92.10–101.00% using methanol/dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) as the extraction solvent. An efficient chromatographic separation of targeted 17 esterified fatty acid methyl esters was obtained. The limits of detection and quantification were within the range of 16–131 and 53–430 ng/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation of intraday and interday precision values ranged from 0.4 to 5.0%. The statistical data treatment showed a significant decrease of the content of four saturated fatty acids, C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, and C18:0 (P value < 0.05), and also showed a decrease of the content of eight unsaturated fatty acids, C16:1, C18:3n6, C18:2n6, C18:1n9, C20:3n3, C20:4n6, C20:2, and C22:6n3 (P value < 0.05) in dengue fever patients. Moreover, the amount of three omega‐6 fatty acids including C18:3n6, C18:2n6, and C20:4n6 was dramatically decreased in the blood of dengue fever patients to a limit of 50 ± 10%.     

Serum fatty acid profiles and potential biomarkers of ankylosing spondylitis determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and multivariate statistical analysis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease. Early and accurate detection is essential for effective disease treatment. Recently, research has focused on genomics and proteomics. However, the associated metabolic variations, especially fatty acid profiles, have been poorly discussed. In this study, the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) approach and multivariate statistical analysis were used to investigate the metabolic profiles of serum free fatty acids (FFAs) and esterified fatty acids (EFAs) in AS patients. The results showed that significant differences in most of the FFA (C12:0, C16:0, C16:1, C18:3, C20:4, C20:5, C22:5 and C22:6) and EFA (C12:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, C18:3, C20:4 and C22:6) concentrations were found between the AS patients and healthy controls (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis were performed to classify the AS patients and controls. Additionally, FFAs C20:4, C12:0, C18:3 and EFAs C22:6, C12:0 were confirmed as potential biomarkers to identify AS patients and healthy controls. The present study highlights that differences in the serum FFA and EFA profiles of AS patients reflect the metabolic disorder. Moreover, FFA and EFA biomarkers appear to have clinical applications for the screening and diagnosis of AS. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of fatty acids by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection using precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of fatty acids in seed oils. The method was based on precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate as a labeling agent and fluorescence detection. Fatty acids were extracted from the samples and subjected to derivatization with the reagent at 60°C for 10?min. The chromatographic separation of 14 fatty acids (C10–C22) was achieved on a combined loading compression octadecyl sulfate (CLC-ODS) column with a run time of 30?min. Three-step gradient elution of a mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water was used, and the signal was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 265 and 315?nm, respectively. The method indicated favorable sensitivity and reproducibility for fatty acids’ derivatives. The detection limits, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, were 0.01–0.05?µg/ml and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 0.27%. Excellent linear responses were observed with coefficients of 0.9995. This method was applied to quantify fatty acids in white, brown, and black sesame seeds’ oil.     

毛细管气相色谱法测定乳脂中的cis-9,trans-11-共轭亚油酸

建立了测定乳脂中cis-9, trans-11-共轭亚油酸(CLA)的毛细管气相色谱方法。样品经正己烷-异丙醇提取、甲醇-甲醇钠甲酯化后,进行气相色谱分析;采用程序升温,以保留时间定性,外标法定量。采用该方法测得共轭亚油酸的回收率为100.26%,相对标准偏差（RSD）为1.9%(n=6),检测限为1 mg/L。该方法样品用量少,前处理简单,建立的实验条件准确可靠,不仅可以用来测定cis-9,trans-11-CLA的含量,而且对于乳制品中所含的其他脂肪酸的分析测定也具有指导意义。     

Determination of 4-aminobutyric acid, aspartate, glutamate and glutamine and their 13C stable-isotopic enrichment in brain tissue by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A selected-ion monitoring method was developed for measuring 4-aminobutyric acid, aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine in brain tissue. Natural isotopes of these amino acids and their stable-isotopic enrichment following intravenous infusion of a precursor, [13C]glucose, were quantitated. Frozen mouse brain tissue was homogenized in cold 80% ethanol, and the supernatant, equivalent to 1 mg of wet weight brain tissue, was extracted using solid-phase bonded silica ion-exchange columns. Aspartate and glutamate (dicarboxylic acids) were isolated from strong anion-exchange columns, whereas 4-aminobutyric acid and glutamine (neutral amino acids) were isolated from strong-cation exchange columns. n-Butyl ester pentafluoropropionyl amide derivatives of these amino acids were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using a methane positive chemical ionization mode after gas chromatographic separation on a wide-bore, fused-silica capillary column. The method is applicable to determination of brain concentrations of these amino acids as well as their fluxes following administration of a stable-isotopic tracer.     

杏仁油的物化性能及其脂肪酸组成的分析

用３种不同溶剂萃取杏仁得到杏仁油,并对其物化常数进行测定。杏仁油用饱和氢氧化钾 甲醇皂化,再用甲醇 硫酸（体积比为４∶１）甲酯化后,将乙醚萃取液作气相色谱分析。太原杏仁油中脂肪酸的主要成分为油酸（Ｃ１８∶１,质量分数约６８％）和亚油酸（Ｃ１８∶２,质量分数约２５％）,少量棕榈酸（Ｃ１６∶０）、棕榈烯酸（Ｃ１６∶１）和硬脂酸（Ｃ１８∶０）,微量花生酸（Ｃ２０∶０）。     

Solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for rapid characterisation of semi-hard cheeses

A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method in combination with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been used for extraction and identification of components of the volatile fraction of Provola dei Nebrodi, a typical semi-hard Sicilian cheese. Cheese samples from different producers and at different ripening stages have been examined. The effects of various conditions (e.g. sample volume, sample headspace volume, sample heating temperature, extraction time, etc.) on extraction efficiency were studied in order to optimise the technique. The technique used made it possible to identify 61 components: fatty acids from C₂ to C₁₄ and their esters, aldehydes, alcohols, methyl ketones, -lactones, aromatic compounds, hydrocarbons and terpenes. The main components were butanoic, hexanoic and octanoic acids. The linear free fatty acids (FFA) from C₂ to C₁₀ were quantified by using the standard addition method. Calibration curves constructed for the FFA spiked into cheese were highly linear with a correlation coefficient R²>0.998. Significant statistical differences (P0.05) were evident for the even-carbon-number fatty acids during ripening.     

Programmable Temperature Vaporizer (PTV) Applied to the Triglyceride Analysis of Milk Fat

The PTV (Programmable Temperature Vaporizer) is a split/splitless injector which allows the sample to be introduced at a relatively low temperature, thus affording accurate and reproducible sampling. After injection the PTV is rapidly heated to transfer the vaporized components into the capillary column. This type of injector has proved to be an efficient tool for the evaluation of fatty acids, essential oils, and pesticides in food analysis. In this work the suitability of PTV for the analysis of milk fat purity by the Official EU method was evaluated. This method is based on the gas chromatographic determination of triglycerides only according to their total number of carbon atoms followed by the application of formulae deriving from multiple linear regressions. The analysis is currently carried out with a packed column or a short capillary column and an on-column injection system. Several samples of pure milk fat and mixtures of milk fat with foreign fat were analyzed with the same capillary column and by using both PTV and on-column injection systems. The results show that the gas chromatographic profile obtained by PTV is comparable with that obtained by the on-column injector, while repeatability and reproducibility data meet the requirements indicated in the Official Method. Therefore, this study demonstrates that it is possible to use the PTV instead of the on-column injector to determine the purity of milk fat with this method.     

Assessment of fatty acids in cardiac tissue as 9-anthryldiazomethane esters by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic technique for the rapid assessment fatty acids in cardiac tissue is described. A level of 50.4 +/- 14.9 nmol fatty acids per g wet weight of rat myocardial tissue could be monitored. The content of the individual fatty acids C14:0, C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2 and C20:4 amounted to 1.9, 13.5, 0.6, 14.4, 6.1, 6.5 and 7.2 nmol/g wet weight, respectively. A comparison of this method with a well established gas chromatographic technique yielded good agreement. In contrast with time-consuming gas chromatographic techniques, there is no need to isolate (unesterified) fatty acids from the other lipid classes with column chromatography or thin-layer chromatography, because the derivatizing reagent 9-anthryldiazomethane reacts highly specifically with fatty acids.     

Quantification of fatty acids as methyl esters and phospholipids in cheese samples after separation of triacylglycerides and phospholipids

Determination of the individual fatty acid composition of neutral- and phospholipids as well as the phospholipid content of dairy food and other foodstuffs are important tasks in life sciences. For these purposes, a method was developed for the separation of lipids (standards of triolein and diacylphosphatidylcholines as well as three cheese samples) by solid-phase extraction using a self-packed column filled with partly deactivated silica. Non-halogenated solvents were used for the elution of the lipid classes. Cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v) served for the elution of neutral lipids, while polar lipids were eluted with three solvents (ethyl acetate/methanol, methanol, and methanol/water) into one fraction. The separated lipid fractions were transesterified and the individual fatty acids were quantified by using gas chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The recovery rate for standard phosphatidylcholines was ∼90% and cross-contamination from neutral lipids was negligible. The method was applied to cheese samples. Quantitative amounts of individual fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction were <0.002-0.29% of total lipids from camembert, <0.002-0.12% of total lipids from mozzarella, and <0.002-0.18% of total lipids in a goat cream cheese. Differences in the fatty acid pattern of neutral and polar lipids were detected. The quantity of the fatty acids determined in the phospholipid fraction was divided by the factor 0.7 in order to convert the fatty acid content into the phospholipid content of the cheese samples. This factor is based on the contribution of 16:0 to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The resulting DPPC equivalents (DPPC_eq) were found to be representative for the average contribution of fatty acids to all classes of phospholipids in dairy products. Using this approach, the phospholipid content of lipids from mozzarella, camembert, and goat cream cheese was 0.60%, 1.42% and 0.79%, respectively.     

Gas chromatography of fatty acids.

Lipids in foods contain a wide variety of fatty acids differing in chain length, degree of unsaturation, position and configuration of double bonds and the presence of special functional groups. Modern capillary gas chromatography offers excellent separation of fatty acids. Fused-silica capillary columns with stationary phases of medium polarity and non-polar methylsilicone stationary phases successfully separate most of the natural fatty acids. Special applications, such as the separation of complex cis-trans fatty acid mixtures and cyclic fatty acids, required particular chromatographic conditions, including the use of very long capillary columns or more polar stationary phases. The derivatization methods for the preparation of fatty acid esters also need to be optimized to obtain accurate quantitative results. This paper reviews the derivatization techniques, capillary columns and stationary phases commonly used in the gas chromatography of fatty acids in food.     

Determination of low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids in aqueous samples by gas chromatography and nitrogen-selective detection of 2-nitrophenylhydrazides

A gas chromatographic method was developed for the determination of low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids in aqueous samples based on a derivatization procedure compatible with aqueous solutions. The technique uses nitrogen-selective detection with a thermionic-specific detector after derivatization of carboxylic acids as 2- nitrophenylhydrazides. The hydrazides were extracted with ethyl acetate prior to injection into the gas chromatograph. The derivatives appear to be stable in ethyl acetate at 0–5° C for long periods and, therefore, can be stored for analysis at a later date. The detection limits of different short-chain acids are in the range 0.8–1.4 pmol per injected sample. The relative standard deviation is less than 10% at the 1 μM level. Examples of the use of the method are given for the determination of carboxylic acids in anoxic marine sediment pore waters, coastal sea water and Black Sea water samples.