A Modification of Gas Chromatography Method for the Determination of Fatty Acid Composition of Milk Fat

G. KALINOVA, D. MLADENOVA, P. MECHKAROVA and H. DASKALOV
National Diagnostic Research Veterinary Institute, BG-1606, Sofia, Bulgaria

Abstract

KALINOVA, G., D. MLADENOVA, P. MECHKAROVA and H. DASKALOV, 2016. A modifi cation of gas chromatography method for the determination of fatty acid composition of milk fat. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 22: 1014–1020

Gas chromatography method, described in ISO 15885, was modifi ed using a certifi ed reference material (CRM), different from that specifi ed in the method, capillary column with selective polar phase and preparation of methyl esters was carried out with other esterifying reagents. The applicability of the modifi ed method for determination of fatty acid composition was studied via evaluation of some important characteristics: selectivity, linearity and linear range, accuracy, precision and measurement uncertainty of the method. The selectivity and linearity of the method were investigated with CRM 47885 – Supelco 37 Component FAME Mix. Due to the column effi ciency, the results for selectivity of four fold greater concentration were better than required in ISO 15885. The linearity range for 37 fatty acids was (22.03 ÷ 399.7) μg.ml-1. To determine the accuracy of the modifi ed method we analyzed milk fat of an interlaboratory test. The results met the range 90% ÷ 110% and there was no need for recovery. To evaluate the precision of the method fi ve dairy products were analyzed. The obtained results were signifi - cantly better than required in ISO 15885, as the method for esterifi cation of fatty acids was simplifi ed and easy to perform. The uncertainties for the quantities of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids of fi ve dairy products were low, as a result of relatively small deviations in measured precision.

Key words: determination of fatty acid composition of milk fat, FAMEs, gas chromatography
Abbreviations: FAs – fatty acids, FAMEs – fatty acid methyl esters

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