Microwave-Assisted Methodology Feasibility for One-Step Extraction and Transmethylation of Fatty Acids in Milk for GC-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Fatty acids (FAs) play many essential roles in bio- logical systems, and they are the aim of different research studies due to their benefits on human health. Milk and dairy products contribute significantly to the consumption of FAs in the human diet. In consequence, manipulation of FA compo- sition of cows’ milk via nutritional strategies has been an important target for the dairy industry and a challenge from an analytical point of view. Milk FA composition is complex, and their analysis involves multiple steps (extraction proce- dure, methylation, FA methyl ester extraction and gas chro- matography (GC) determination) that turn it into a tedious and time-consuming procedure. In recent years, some efforts have been made to develop an analytical approach with simulta- neous extraction and derivatization of FAs. In this sense, mi- crowave (MW)-assisted digestion and extraction methods have been used for many years and today can be considered standard operating procedures in many laboratories. It is a powerful tool for different analytical methodology develop- ment. This study is focused on one-step extraction/ transmethylation MW-assisted methodology feasibility for FA analysis in milk compared to a reference method.