Rapid determination of total conjugated linoleic acid concentrations in beef by 1H NMR spectroscopy

• We report here a fast lipid extraction from beef using liquid nitrogen and CDCl3.
• We have utilized 1H NMR to measure CLA concentration in beef.
• Our new fast lipid extraction/NMR method is consistent with traditional methods.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was employed to determine the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in beef muscle tissue. NMR is an inviting and greener alternative to traditional methods such as gas chromatography (GC), which can require time-consuming sample derivatization and use of large quantities of solvents. In this work, a new rapid and reliable lipid extraction protocol was combined with simple, non-destructive 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis to measure the total CLA content in 41 Canadian beef ribeye steaks purchased in western Canada. The total CLA concentrations (mg/100 g meat) obtained using the new extraction and analysis methods were consistent with amounts found using the traditional lipid extraction and GC analysis (correlation coefficient of 0.961).