Unlock Exclusive Discounts & Flash Sales! Click Here to Join the Deals on Every Wednesday!
Fatty acids (FAs) comprise carboxylic acids that are aliphatic and typically linear, and monocarboxylic acids with long hydrocarbon chains which are represented by the general form RCOOH, where R represents the carbon chain. They can be classified according to carbon chain length as: short chain FAs (SCFAs): from 2 to 4 carbon atoms; medium chain FAs (MCFAs): from 6 to 10; long chain FAs (LCFAs): from 12 to 20 and very long chain FAs (VLCFAs): up to 22 carbon atoms. In addition, they can be further categorised according to their degree of saturation into saturated fatty acids (SFAs), which do not contain any double bonds or other functional groups along the chain; monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which contain one double bond in the chain, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which contain more than one double bond in the chain.
CE is very useful for screening analysis or quantification of the usual fatty acids present in different matrices, offering short analysis times and a simple sample preparation step as inherent advantages in comparison with the classical methodology, making it a separation technique that is very attractive for quality control in industry and government agencies.