Contract Research
 Increasingly
we are being asked by industrial concerns to undertake small research
projects that require a higher level of technical expertise, sometimes
to solve technical problems, but more often to provide detailed
structural analyses of materials for patent or regulatory approval,
when reliable independent advice from an accredited laboratory
may be essential. Obviously, none of this can be described in
detail here because we observe strict commercial confidentiality.
For example, we can undertake:
- Determination of the structures
of novel fatty acids
- Identification of novel lipids
- Molecular species analyses of simple
oils and fats or of complex lipids
We have the equipment (gas
chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, mass
spectrometry) and more important
the expertise.
Give us the details and
we will supply a quotation for time and cost.
Two topics appear to be generating special interest - the analysis
of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and of fatty acids with trans double
bonds,
stemming
from the published work and research interests of the non-commercial
Unit in SCRI.
As much of our work is now in the public domain, we can give some
further details -
- CLA is believed to have a wide range of beneficial
effects, including anti-cancer and anti-arteriosclerosis
properties. We developed novel
GC-MS and other
methodology to determine to relative proportions of positional
and geometric isomers in
commercial and natural samples, since these may have distinct
and different biological activities.
Through industrial contracts, we improved the methodology,
especially in relation to analysis of isomer levels and distribution
in natural
samples
where concentrations
can be very low. Also, we analysed a number of commercial materials,
prepared by alkaline isomerization of natural linoleate, which
vary greatly in composition
and quality. Conversely, this has helped our research group
to obtain two research contracts from the EU in this area (see
the
section
in the Lipid
Library on
this topic).
- Trans fatty acids are formed during industrial processing
of fats and oils and are believed to be harmful if consumed
in excessive
amounts.
There
is no simple
method that can give a sufficient analysis, and this is important
as different isomers may have differing biological activities.
We have
shown that silver
ion chromatography can be used to separate trans from cis
isomers, as a preliminary to gas chromatographic analysis. In
a contract
from the
EU
under the Measuring
and Testing program, our methodology was established as the
bench mark against which all other procedures must be judged
(see the
section in the Lipid Library
on this topic).
Mylnefield Lipid Analysis has received contracts to carry out
independent analyses of these materials in products from some
of the largest companies in the field of oils and fats. |
Latest Courses
Lipid Chemistry & Analysis Course
February 28th/29th 2008
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