Sphingoid bases in dairy products

Sphingolipids have recently been taken more into consideration because of their possible role in health care.The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of free and total sphingosine and sphinganine in dairy products, a food group that has been given a role in the prevention of colon cancer and other tumours. Sphingolipids were extracted using chloroform and methanol, and following base and acid hydrolysis, the free and total sphingosine and sphinganine were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. The highest concentrations of free and total sphingosine and sphinganine were found in sour cream. In most of the analyzed dairy products, the concentrations of free sphingoid bases were lower than that of cow’s milk, while the concentrations of the total sphingoid bases were equal to or higher than that of cow’s milk.