A note on comparison of two extraction methods used to quantify CI8 fatty acids in feed and digesta of ruminants

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to compare two methods of fatty acid determination and quantification, differing in the kind of solvent used. Our hypothesis stated that diethyl ether can replace dichloromethane for the extraction of fatty acids, facilitate the analysis, and reduce health hazards. The analyses were conducted on feed and duodenal digesta samples from an experiment investigating the effects of feeding increasing amounts of either rape seed or linseed oils to sheep. Based on the obtained results, we conclude that the diethyl ether method seems to be more efficient for extraction of fatty acids from hydrolysed feed and digesta. Further investigations are needed to determine whether diethyl ether can replace dichloromethane for the extraction of fatty acids from other matrices.