Quantification of fatty acids in erythrocytes and plasma by fast gas chromatography

As a result of the heterogeneous nature of lipid classes in complex biological matrices such as plasma and erythrocytes, it is imperative to have a robust and validated methodology for fatty acid quantification. The effective method presented here combines available methodology of fast gas chromatography and an improvement of the sample preparation methodology before injection into the gas chromatograph. This methodology ensures complete transesterification and quantification of total and individual fatty acids (and not only in relative amounts) by addition of internal standards. We considered sample preparation key, and we established the use of lysis buffer and ethanol for erythrocytes and plasma sample preparation, respectively. Fatty acid profile was determined by acid methylation and fast gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector. The triacylglycerol 13:0, phosphatidylcholine 23:0, and methyl esters 21:0 were used as internal standards. Within the linearity of the calibration, the ratio of the peak area of each fatty acid over the peak area of the internal standard was constant (coefficient of variation ≤ 2.5). Satisfactory repeatability <15% and intermediate reproducibility < 15% were observed. Finally, this validated method was applied to a pre‐clinical trial that investigated the impact of dietary fats on accretion of specific fatty acids in plasma and erythrocytes.     

Improved method of determination of biologically important C10:0-C22:6 fatty acids as their 2-nitrophenylhydrazides by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Fatty acids were separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography after derivatization with 2-nitrophenylhydrazine hydrochloride in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride. The separation of a mixture of fourteen kinds of biologically important fatty acid hydrazides (C10:0-C22:6) was achieved within 15 min. Using margaric acid (C17:0) as internal standard, each fatty acid could be quantitated over the range of 2.5-5000 pmol per injection. Analytical recoveries ranged from 98.1 to 102.6%. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 2.5 and 3.2%, respectively. For the determination of esterified fatty acids in fats and oils, the saponified mixture was directly derivatized without extraction. This method was compared gave similar fatty acid profiles to those obtained with the conventional liquid-liquid extraction method. It is simple, rapid and accurate for routine analyses of esterified fatty acids in biological materials.     

Optimization of Fatty Acid Determination in Selected Fish and Microalgal Oils

The use of ten fatty acid methyl ester reference standards coupled with a detailed quantification method was shown to significantly optimize the fatty acid determination of selected fish and microalgal oils when compared to methods that use only one reference standard (C19:0 or C23:0) as a relative response factor. When using the mixture of ten reference standards after transesterifying oils with NaOH/BF₃, determination of total fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid improved by an average of 7.3, 11.5 and 8.4%, respectively. Furthermore, improvements of 13.9, 18.9 and 6.8% of total fatty acids, EPA and DHA, respectively, were obtained when using the mixture of reference standards for fatty acid determination after directly extracting and transesterifying oil contained in microalgal cells with a mixture of methanol, HCl and chloroform. Fatty acid methyl ester standards dissolved in isooctane showed <5% variability throughout 130 days of stability testing when stored at ?20 °C. The optimized method can be used for improving the quantification of fatty acids in both oils (fish and microalgal oils) and dry microalgal cells.     

植物油中脂肪酸不同定量方法的比较分析

比较峰面积归一化法与标准曲线法两种方法分析植物油中脂肪酸百分比含量的差异。利用气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)检测10种市售食用植物油中的8种主要脂肪酸,峰面积归一化法和标准曲线法计算脂肪酸的百分比含量。结果表明,标准曲线法与峰面积归一化法相比,肉豆蔻酸、棕榈酸、十七烷酸、硬脂酸和棕榈油酸所占的百分比升高,而油酸、亚油酸和亚麻酸比例降低;饱和脂肪酸比例升高,不饱和脂肪酸百分比降低。利用峰面积归一化法计算植物油中脂肪酸百分比时,降低了饱和脂肪酸比例,升高了不饱和脂肪酸比例,可能对健康有潜在的不利影响。建议使用标准曲线法计算不同植物油中脂肪酸的百分比。     

Fast,high precision fingerprinting of fatty acids in milk

A rapid, precise method has been developed for the determination of the fatty acid profile of small samples of milk fat. Lipids are extracted from milk with n-hexane, triglycerides are trans-esterified with sodium methoxide, and free fatty acids are esterified with methanolic hydrochloric acid. The methyl esters are separated on a narrow-bore, 5% phenyl polydimethylsiloxane capillary column. The fatty acid profile is precise: for the various acids the coefficients of variation of peak area are between 6.7% and 9.7%, with a mean of 8.1%, and the coefficients of variation of peak percentage area are between 0.3% and 5.5% with a mean of 1.8%. The nature of the sample preparation procedure does not limit throughout.     

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.     

在线热辅助甲基化-气相色谱法分析棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成

建立了分析棉籽仁中脂肪酸组成的在线热辅助甲基化-气相色谱法。将0.3 mg棉籽仁样品与2 μ L三甲基氢氧化硫（0.2 mol/L）加入裂解器,在350℃下进行甲基化反应,通过气相色谱仪进行分离分析,共检测到8种脂肪酸甲酯成分,分别为亚油酸（C18：2）、油酸（C18：1）、棕榈酸（C16：0）、硬脂酸（C18：0）、肉豆蔻酸（C14：0）、棕榈油酸（C16：1）、花生酸（C20：0）和二十二酸（C22：0）,不饱和脂肪酸的相对含量为66.30%~72.54%,其中亚油酸的相对含量为43.20%~53.61%,相对峰面积的相对标准偏差（RSD）小于10%（n=5）。通过分析5组棉籽仁样品与3种食用油中的脂肪酸组成,结果表明不同产地的棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成差异不明显,且棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成与玉米油最为接近,相似度为0.960~0.992。该方法简单、快速、准确,适合分析棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成。     

A pre-column derivatization high-performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous determination of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids in a fecal sample

Short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids have plentiful biological functions, which play a crucial role in the diagnosis and therapy of many diseases. Herein, a new method for simultaneous quantifying 17 short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids with high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an ultraviolet detector was developed and the pre-column derivatization by indole-3-acetic acid hydrazide was performed to improve the separation and detection. The conditions of the derivatization reaction were systematically investigated. Subsequently, the method was validated and the results showed a satisfactory linearity (linear regression coefficients > 0.9969), the limit of detection (4.0×10⁻³–1.9×10⁻² μmol/L), precision (0.9%–7.3% for intra-day and 2.0%–9.8% for inter-day), recovery (90.0%–109.1% with relative standard deviation <7.7%) and stability (0.1%–3.3% for standard solution and 0.2%–3.9% for fecal sample). Finally, the established method was successfully applied to quantify short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids in the feces of healthy control and diabetic rats. Eleven kinds of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids were detected and six of them showed a significant difference between the control group and the model group.     

Determination of olive oil acidity by CE

In this work, a CE method for the determination of olive oil acidity was proposed. The method was based on an ethanolic extraction (at 60 degrees C) of the oil long-chain free fatty acids (LC-FFAs) components followed by CE determination in pH 6.86 phosphate buffer at 15 mmol/L concentration containing 4 mmol/L sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), 10 mmol/L polyoxyethylene 23 lauryl ether (Brij 35), 2% v/v 1-octanol and 45% v/v ACN under indirect UV detection at 224 nm. Although this electrolyte promoted baseline separation of myristic acid (C14:0) (internal standard (IS)) and olive oil major components (palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1c) and linoleic acid (C18:2cc)) in less than 8 min, after a few injections, the electropherogram profiles were severely altered (peak broadening, migration time shifts, etc.) and the current increased substantially. An adsorption study was conducted revealing that the dissolution of the capillary external polyimide coating during the electrophoretic run caused the detrimental effect. After removal of the capillary tip coating, ten consecutive injections could be performed without any disturbances and this simple procedure was, therefore, implemented during quantitative purposes. The reliability of the proposed method was further investigated by the determination of acidity of an extra virgin olive oil sample in comparison to the established methodology (AOCS method Ca 5a-40, alkaline volumetric titration (AVT)). No statistical differences were found within 95% confidence level. A % acidity of 0.39 +/- 0.02 was found for the olive oil sample under consideration.     

Determination of free fatty acids in milk and cheese procedures for extraction,clean up,and capillary gas chromatographic analysis

A rapid, reliable and precise capillary gas chromatographic method for routine quantification of short- and long-chain free fatty acids (FFA) in milk and cheese is described. Procedures of (1) lipid extraction, (2) isolation of the FFA from milk and cheese extracts, and (3) capillary gas chromatographic analysis were developed and optimized. FFA can be extracted from cheese for 95–100% with ether-heptane after grinding with sodium sulfate and addition of 2.5 M sulfuric acid. From milk, 95–100 % of the FFA (≤ C8:0) are also extracted with ether-heptane after addition of ethanol and 2.5 M sulfuric acid. Internal standards are used to compensate for the losses of lower FFA (C2:0–C8:0) in the aqueous phase. In view of the excellent recovery (98–100 %) and a considerable saving of time, the use of an aminopropyl column is preferred for the isolation of the FFA from lipid-extracts. The underivatized FFA are separated directly by capillary gas chromatography making use of columns which enable accurate and rapid (≤ 40 min) determination of FFA C2:0–C20:0. With the method described, all major FFA (C2:0–C18:3) in milk and cheese can be quantified with good repeatability (rsd less then 2 %). The method is also applicable to the analysis of short-chain fatty acids in other products.     

大鼠肝过氧化物酶体中脂肪酸的分析

 用双 (2 乙基己基 )酚酞酸酯 (DEHP)诱导大鼠肝过氧化物酶体增殖 ,再用蔗糖密度梯度离心法分离大鼠肝细胞过氧化物酶体 ,并用十七烷酸作内标 ,以毛细管气相色谱法在非极性SPB 1石英毛细管柱上对其中的 11种脂肪酸进行分离测定。正常组和诱导组的大鼠肝过氧化物酶体中的不饱和脂肪酸和长链脂肪酸所占总脂肪酸的比例及总脂肪酸的统计结果是 :诱导组的不饱和脂肪酸的含量高于正常组的 (P <0 0 5 ) ,而两个组的脂肪酸总量及长链脂肪酸的含量无明显差别。结果提示 :诱导组的大鼠肝过氧化物酶体的脂肪酸成分发生了变化 ,其膜结构与正常组的不相同。     

银离子固相萃取-气相色谱法检测乳脂肪中的反式脂肪酸

建立了分离反式油酸(C18:1)、亚油酸(C18:2)、亚麻酸(C18:3)的银离子固相萃取-气相色谱(Ag+-SPE/GC)方法,并应用于乳脂肪中反式脂肪酸的检测。采用自制的银离子固相萃取柱对样品进行预分离,总脂肪酸甲酯化后上样,依次经9 mL甲苯-正己烷(体积比5:95)、8 mL甲苯-正己烷(体积比17:83)、6 mL甲苯-乙酸乙酯(体积比17:83)、10 mL甲苯-乙酸乙酯(体积比30:70)洗脱并分别收集洗脱液,采用气相色谱分别进行检测。结果显示,除了反式亚麻酸的回收率为69.9%～101.0%、相对标准偏差(RSD)为11.0%～18.1%外,其余的反式脂肪酸的回收率均为88.4%～107.2%、RSD为1.2%～11.9%。该方法通过特异性固相萃取的方法对样品进行前处理,较好地避免了样品中顺式及饱和脂肪酸对反式脂肪酸检测的干扰。     

Study of the GC-MS determination of the palmitic-stearic acid ratio for the characterisation of drying oil in painting: La Encarnación by Alonso Cano as a case study

The correct identification of drying oils plays an essential role in providing an understanding of the conservation and deterioration of artistic materials in works of art. To this end, this work proposes the use of peak area ratios from fatty acids after ensuring that the linear responses of the detector are tested. A GC-MS method, previously reported in the literature, was revisited to its developed and validated in order to identify and quantify of eight fatty acids that are widely used as markers for drying oils in paintings, namely myristic acid (C(14:0)), palmitic acid (C(16:0)), stearic acid (C(18:0)), oleic acid (C(18:1)), linoleic acid (C(18:2)), suberic acid (2C(8)), azelaic acid, (2C(9)) and sebacic acid (2C(10)). The quaternary ammonium reagent m-(trifluoromethyl)phenyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (TMTFAH) was used for derivatization prior to GC-MS analysis of the oils. MS spectra were obtained for each methyl ester derivative of the fatty acids and the characteristic fragments were identified. The method was validated in terms of calibration functions, detection and quantification limits and reproducibility using the signal recorded in SIR mode, since two of the methyl derivatives were not totally separated in the chromatographic run. The proposed method was successfully applied to identify and characterise the most widely used drying oils (linseed oil, poppy seed oil and walnut oil) in the painting La Encarnación. This 17th century easel painting is located in the main chapel of the cathedral in Granada (Spain) and was painted by the well-known artist of the Spanish Golden Age, Alonso Cano (1601-1667).     

分散固相萃取-气相色谱-质谱法测定含油脂食品中17种邻苯二甲酸酯

建立了含油脂食品中17种邻苯二甲酸酯的分散固相萃取-气相色谱-质谱法检测方法。奶茶样品经乙腈-甲基叔丁基醚(9∶1,V/V)提取后,提取液用MAS-PAEC分散固相萃取管进行净化。调味包样品经乙腈(正己烷饱和)-甲基叔丁基醚(19∶1,V/V)提取2次后,提取液用CNW分散固相萃取管进行净化。采用基质匹配标准外标法进行定量分析。结果表明,奶茶中17种邻苯二甲酸酯的加标回收率为82.2%～125.4%;相对标准偏差小于16.5%;方法检出限为100～200μg/L。调味包中17种邻苯二甲酸酯的加标回收率为70.9%～115.5%;相对标准偏差小于9.8%;方法检出限为400～800μg/L。本方法快速、精确、简易、廉价、稳定,可应用于含油脂食品中17种邻苯二甲酸酯的实际检测分析。     

Rapid and Quantitative Blood Analysis for Free Fatty Acids by Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A quantitative analysis of fatty acids in micro-samples of dried blood spots by chemical ionization mass spectrometry has been developed. Isotope determination was used as the quantitating technique using the corresponding deuterium labeled internal standards. The procedure yields excellent precision and accuracy as demonstrated by the analysis of known fatty acid mixtures and of both C_12:0 to C_18:0 acids and phytanic acid in the blood from patients.     

Quantitative analysis of fatty-acid-based biofuels produced by wild-type and genetically engineered cyanobacteria by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Simple and rapid quantitative determination of fatty-acid-based biofuels is greatly important for the study of genetic engineering progress for biofuels production by microalgae. Ideal biofuels produced from biological systems should be chemically similar to petroleum, like fatty-acid-based molecules including free fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters, fatty acid ethyl esters, fatty alcohols and fatty alkanes. This study founded a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for simultaneous quantification of seven free fatty acids, nine fatty acid methyl esters, five fatty acid ethyl esters, five fatty alcohols and three fatty alkanes produced by wild-type Synechocystis PCC 6803 and its genetically engineered strain. Data obtained from GC-MS analyses were quantified using internal standard peak area comparisons. The linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and precision (RSD) of the method were evaluated. The results demonstrated that fatty-acid-based biofuels can be directly determined by GC-MS without derivation. Therefore, rapid and reliable quantitative analysis of fatty-acid-based biofuels produced by wild-type and genetically engineered cyanobacteria can be achieved using the GC-MS method founded in this work.     

Gas-chromatographic fatty-acid fingerprints and partial least squares modeling as a basis for the simultaneous determination of edible oil mixtures

Partial least squares modeling and gas-chromatographic fatty-acid fingerprints are reported as a method for the simultaneous determination of cottonseed, olive, soybean and sunflower edible oil mixtures. In this work, two sets of three- and four-component combinations of oils were prepared, hydrolyzed and the obtained free fatty acids analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) without any further derivatization. The normalized percentages of the myristic (14:0), palmitic (16:0), palmitoleic (16:1), stearic (18:0), oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2) and linolenic (18:3) acids were chromatographically measured in samples and used for constructing calibration matrix. The cross-validation method was used to select the number of factors and the proposed methods were validated by using two sets of synthetic oil mixture samples. The relative standard error for each oil in mixture samples was less than 10%. This approach allows determining possible adulteration in each of the four edible oils.     

Identification of lipid binders in old oil paintings by separation of 4-bromomethyl-7-methoxycoumarin derivatives of fatty acids by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A HPLC-fluorescence method for identification of drying oils from binding media or protective film used in pictorial works of art prior to conservation or restoration is proposed. Fluorescence derivatization of fatty acids released by hydrolysis of structural drying oils is studied. The derivatization reagent was 4-(bromomethyl)-7-methoxycoumarin with 18-crown-6 as catalyst. Mobile phase was programmed from methanol-water (90:10 v/v) to methanol-water (100:0 v/v) in 25 min. The excitation and emission wavelengths were 325 and 395 nm, respectively. Under these chromatographic conditions, coumarin derivatives of myristic, palmitic, oleic and stearic acids were satisfactorily resolved. The method shows good sensitivity, with a detection limit of 6.0 x 10(-8) mmol, and good linearity between 1.0 x 10(-7) and 1.8 x 10(-4) mmol of each analyte. Peak area ratios among fatty acids derivatives, especially the stearic acid/palmitic acid peak area ratio, are useful to identify the drying oils. The proposed method has been successfully applied to artistic samples from items of the cultural heritage of Valencia (Spain).     

Simultaneous capillary gas chromatographic profiling of medium-and long-chain fatty acid methyl esters with split injection. Correction for injection-related discrimination by the 'bracketing' method

Split injection-related discrimination can be a source of inaccuracy and imprecision in quantitative capillary gas chromatographic profiling methods for compounds with relatively big differences in boiling points, such as the methyl esters of medium- and long-chain fatty acids prepared from biological materials. We systematically investigated a standard containing equal masses of saturated fatty acid methyl esters, with chain lengths from C5 to C26, under different injection conditions, including injection temperature, sample volume and split ratio. Day-to-day performance was studied under one set of conditions. Normalized peak areas, reciprocal response factors, using either C17 or C23 as an internal standard, and 'bracketed' reciprocal response factors (peak area of each analyte divided by half the sum of the peak areas of two adjacent esters were calculated. In all experiments the bracketed reciprocal response factors were found to be closest to unity with the lowest coefficients of variation.     

红细胞膜上各种磷脂中脂肪酸的测定

应用自制硅胶板的薄层色谱法分离了红细胞膜上四种主要磷脂。将分离后的每种磷脂斑点硅胶涂层刮下，不经萃取，直接在无水甲醇－苯－乙酰氯溶液中进行转移甲基化，然后用毛细管相色谱分离测定其脂肪酸组成和含量。上述方法已成功地用于先天愚型病人和正常人红细胞膜上各种磷脂中脂肪酸轮廓分析，获得有意义的结果。