Compost Maturity: Chemical Characteristics of Extractable Lipids

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Abstract
Chemical changes in extractable lipids from four mixtures of farmyard manures were investigated during the composting process. Lipid extractions with diethyl ether (DEE) and chloroform (CHCl3) were sequentially performed on samples collected at seven different times during composting. Amounts of DEE-extractable lipids decreased continuously during composting, while CHCl3-extractable lipids remained relatively constant. 13C NMR and mass spectrometric data indicated that the lipids became chemically more homogeneous during composting and that biologically resistant molecules predominated at the end of composting.