Quantitative determination of free fatty acids in foodstuff matrix by solid phase extraction and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection

Abstract

Abstract Free fatty acids (FFAs) serve as crucial analytical markers in oils, fats, and food, reflecting food safety through their content variations. However, the analysis of FFAs in food samples is constrained by potential interferences from other acidic components in the sample matrix during sample processing, resulting in distorted analytical outcomes and introducing positive bias. In the present study, we developed a feasible method for the analysis of FFAs in edible oil and food samples using gas chromatography – hydrogen flame ionization detector (GC-FID) combined with in SPE extraction and derivatization method free fatty acids in edible oil and foodstuff matrices. The established method was also validated in terms of linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), and matrix effect. It was proved to be linear (R2 > 0.99), with lower LODs of 0.108–0.564 µg/mL, and lower LOQs of 0.258 − 0.151 µg/mL for all FFAs. Overall, the simple, rapid, and cost-effective method developed in this study provides a potential application for the extraction and enrichment of FFAs in complex sample matrices, including edible oils, fatty foods, and high-content biological samples