ABSTRACT
A rapid method has been proposed for determination of the main conjugated linoleic acid precursors such as linoleic (C18:2 n-6) and linolenic (C18:3 n-3) acids in forages by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with direct UV detection at 200 nm. Among the fatty acids found in forages, C18:2 n-6 and C18:3 n-3 have received particular attention due to their roles as precursors for the synthesis of conjugated linoleic acid, a class of health-enhancing compounds that is predominantly found in dairy products. The electrolyte background consisted of 12.0 mmol/L tetraborate buffer (pH 9.2) added to 12.0 mmol/L Brij 35®, 17% acetonitrile, and 33% methanol. Under the optimized conditions, the baseline separation of C18:2 n-6 and C18:3 n-3 was achieved within 4 min. The CZE-UV method was compared to GC with a flame ionization detector, which is the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS 996.06) official method for fatty acid analysis. The methods did not show any evidence of significant differences within 95% confidence interval (P>0.05). The CZE-UV method was successfully applied to the analysis of 80 genotypes of Brachiaria ruzizienses clones submitted to a genetic improvement program in agricultural research.
