Determination of squalene in edible oils by transmethylation and GC analysis

• Main Authors: Suzanne M. Budge, Christopher Barry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019-01-01
• Series: MethodsX
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016118302048

Squalene is a triterpenoid with medicinal, therapeutic and cosmetic applications. There is interest in identifying novel sources of squalene, creating a need for a rapid and accurate method of squalene determination. Here, we describe such an approach that involves first transmethylating the oil base containing squalene using a basic catalyst, followed by addition of internal standard and quantification by gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GCIFD). • The method uses a single reference standard for quantification. • Validation showed it to be both repeatable and accurate. • It was successfully applied to nutraceutical and edible oils containing squalene. Method name: Squalene determination by GCFID, Keywords: Fatty acid methyl esters, Basic catalyst, 23:0, Internal standard