Identification of Milk Fatty Acids by Gas-Liquid and Thin-layer Chromatography

Abstract
Methyl esters of milk fatty acids were converted to acetoxymercurimethoxy derivatives and separated from saturated esters and from each other as monoenes, dienes, trienes etc. by thin-layer chromatography. The derivatives were regenerated and identified by gas-liquid chromatography. This technic allows more reliable identifications to be made of milk fatty acids than with gas-liquid chromatography alone. The branched chain fatty acids were effectively separated.