Fatty Acid Analysis
Much of the research by our group requires fatty acid analysis and this includes changes in fatty acid profiles of milk and other biological fluids as well as tracking the presence or absence of specific fatty acids. Therefore, our research program depends on consistent and accurate fatty acid analysis. Due to the nature of our research, milk fat represents a major portion of the samples analyzed, with tissues, plasma, and various oils making up the remainder. Before a sample can be analyzed, lipid must first be extracted and converted to fatty acid methyl esters. The procedures used for these steps vary depending on the type of sample, and information about these differences is provided in detail by the Lipid Analysis Unit at the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Invergowrie, Dundee, Scotland. We then quantify the fatty acid methyl esters by gas chromatography (GCD system HP 6890+; Hewlett Packard, Avondale, PA) using a CP-SIL 88 fused silica capillary column (100m x 0.25 mm (i.d.) with 0.2 µm film thickness; Varian, Inc., Walnut Creek, CA). Fatty acid peaks are identified using pure methyl ester standards obtained commercially, as well as additional standards for CLA isomers kindly provided by Natural ASA (Hovdebygda, Norway). We also routinely include a butter oil reference standard (CRM 164; Commission of the European community Bureau of References, Brussels, Belgium) for purposes of quality control and comparisons of recoveries for calculations of correction factors for individual fatty acids.
Improvements in analytical techniques and sensitivity for fatty acid analysis are constantly being developed. In order to keep up with these advances our group has recently purchased an HPLC (Agilent 1100 series) and will be incorporating it into our analytical routine in the near future.
Interested in having a product analyzed for CLA?
With the increased interest in CLA as a functional food component, producers are seeking a means to evaluate the CLA content of their products. Our group can analyze a limited number of samples beyond those from our own experiments and thus we are able to provide this service for $ 50.00 per sample. However, the products we are offering to analyze are limited to samples milk and meat. It is important that the guidelines for proper shipping of samples are followed to ensure the sample does not spoil, become contaminated, or lost in transit. Before shipping samples please contact Barbara Jones by e-mail (bjj6@cornell.edu) to ensure we can provide the analysis, that proper procedures are followed and we are aware your sample(s) will be arriving.