From: wpenrose@customsensorsolutions.com (William Penrose)
Newsgroups: sci.chem
Subject: Re: Fat content in nuts
Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2000 02:57:26 GMT

On Thu, 07 Sep 2000 11:02:39 GMT, Kresten <kresten@my-deja.com> wrote:

> I am looking for a simple method for estimating the fat
>(triglycerides, FFA, cholesterol etc) content of nuts. I was thinking
>along the lines of:
>1. grind the nuts
>2. partition between CHCl3 and water
>3. Filter CHCl3 (with some appropriately resistant filter)
>4. Evaporation of CHCl3
>5. Weigh residual
>
>Any comments. Is there an (easy) "standard" method that any of you know
>of.

Your method is close to the Bligh and Dyer one-phase standard method.
They grind the tissue up with water and chloroform, with enough
alcohol added to just codissolve them into one phase. Then you do your
grinding in a homogenizer or such.

Next, you add some chloroform and water, which causes the re-formation
of two phases. Separate by centrifugation. The crap is in the water
phase, the fat in the chloroform phase. Draw off the chloroform, dry
over sodium sulfate, filter the lot, rinsing with fresh chloroform.
Evaporate the chloroform and weigh the residue.

Bill Penrose