Methodological Aspects of the Analysis of Fatty Acids in Biological Samples

The review considers the principal, as well as less common but promising, methods to determine the fatty acids (FAs) in biological samples. The advantages, disadvantages, and prospects of these methods are described and compared. Special attention is paid to specific features of the preparation of biological samples, such as the extraction of lipids and derivatization process of FAs. Methodological aspects of the determination of FAs via gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and features of the applications of various types of stationary phases used for the chromatographic separation of FAs are considered. The potential for the use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to analyze FAs are analyzed. The special requirements and limitations of these methods concerning work with biomaterials are also considered