Lipid Extraction Services

Lipids are a class of biological organic molecules that are poorly soluble in water but easily soluble in non-polar solvents. More and more studies have shown that lipids are not only the skeleton components and energy storage substances of biological membranes, but also participate in many important functions of cells. Lipidomics is the comprehensive and systematic analysis and identification of lipids in organisms, tissues or cells and the molecules that interact with them, so as to understand the structure and function of lipids, and then promote applications such as drug development, gene delivery and vaccine research. The lipid extraction services from BOC Sciences provide specialized lipid-related knowledge, a wide range of lipid classes, custom solutions and high-quality analytical services. Our lipid extraction capabilities include total lipid extraction and polar/mid-polar lipid extraction. We can determine the concentration of specific lipid species and identify and characterize the lipid molecules present in the sample.

Fig. 1. Lipid extraction and analysis.

Common Lipid Extraction Methods

Lipid Extraction By Folch Methods

The Folch method is a widely used method for the extraction of lipids from biological samples. It was developed by Spanish biochemist Jordi Folch in 1957. The method involves a series of steps to separate lipids from other components of the sample. The Folch method is a classic method for lipid extraction and has been widely used in various research fields such as biochemistry, nutrition, and lipidomics. Here is an outline of Folch's method:

1. Weigh 1 g sample, add 10 ml methanol and a small amount of acid-washed sand to grind, and homogenize for 1 min;

2. Then add 20 ml of chloroform, continue homogenizing for 2 min, filter, add 30 ml of chloroform/methanol mixture (2:1 V/V) to the filter residue;

3. Grind, filter, first wash the filter residue with 20 ml chloroform and 10 ml methanol, combine the filtrate, and then add water of 1/4 of the volume of the whole filtrate;

4. Shake, stand to separate layers, remove the upper layer and the solids at the interface, then add methanol/water mixture (1:1), the volume is 1/4 of the volume of the lower layer;

5. Oscillate, stand for stratification, absorb the upper liquid and interface matter, and repeat the washing twice;

6. Then evaporate the organic phase to dryness under reduced pressure, prepare a chloroform solution, and store it at -20℃.

Lipid Extraction By Bligh-Dyer Methods

Bligh-Dyer is a liquid-liquid extraction method that separates lipids from other components of a sample. The Bligh-Dyer method is known for its effectiveness in extracting a wide variety of lipids, including phospholipids, glycolipids, and neutral lipids, from a variety of biological samples. It is widely used in lipid research and lipidomics research. The method includes the following steps:

1. Mix a biological sample (such as a tissue or cell homogenate) with a chloroform-methanol-water mixture. The ratio of these solvents is usually 1:2:0.8 (v/v/v).

2. Shake or vortex the mixture vigorously to ensure that the solvent is properly mixed with the sample. This step helps dissolve lipids into the organic phase (chloroform), while proteins and other water-soluble components remain in the aqueous phase.

3. After vigorous mixing, the mixture was centrifuged to separate the two phases - an upper aqueous phase and a lower organic phase. Collect the lipid-containing organic phase.

4. Wash the organic phase with brine solution (e.g. 0.9% NaCl) to remove any remaining water-soluble contaminants.

5. Evaporate the organic phase under reduced pressure (e.g. using a rotary evaporator) to remove solvent and concentrate the extracted lipids.

6. Reconstitute the extracted lipids in an appropriate solvent (e.g. chloroform) for further analysis or storage.

Our Lipid Extraction Capabilities

With the wide application in food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and biofuels, the extraction technology of lipid molecules is also developing continuously. These advances not only improve the extraction process, but also contribute to the overall sustainability and quality of the final product. Lipid extraction services from BOC Sciences provide a one-stop service channel for researchers and industries involved in lipid analysis and characterization. We offer extraction services for a wide variety of lipid classes, including but not limited to fatty acids, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterol and prenol lipids. This comprehensive coverage enables researchers to analyze and understand the lipid composition of a wide variety of samples. Our lipid extraction technologies include:

• Solvent extraction, such as folch extraction
• Soxhlet extraction and bligh-dyer extraction
• Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)
• Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE)
• Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)
• Enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE)

Lipid Analysis and Characterization

BOC Sciences has the ability to provide custom extraction methods according to the specific needs of customers, ensuring optimal extraction efficiency and lipid recovery. We employ state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to ensure a high-quality lipid extraction process. Advanced analytical instruments such as thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), Mass Spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are used by our researchers to accurately quantify and identify the purity and quality. In addition, BOC Sciences provides analysis and quantification of fatty acids. We use gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID) or mass spectrometry (MS) to determine the fatty acid composition of lipids, providing detailed information on the type and amount of fatty acids in a sample.