Article: Fat Analysis In Food And Feed

The fat content is one of the most important parameters for the quality control of food and feed. On the one hand, the fat content contributes greatly to the nutritional value of a product; on the other hand, some fats (e.g. milk fat or cocoa fat) are quite expensive components and should therefore be used economically. Due to the new EU directives about the labelling of food with terms such as "light" or "low fat", it is now up to the manufacturers to indicate the true fat content of their products on the wrapping.

There are various methods of quantitative fat analysis. Which method is applied depends on the sample material, the required accuracy and the time frame. Solvent extraction according to Soxhlet and Weibull-Stoldt are two of the classic methods where the sample is submitted to acid digestion before the extraction. Soxhlet extractions are usually automated, several samples can be processed simultaneously. These systems offer various benefits such as easy handling, solvent recovery, safety features and a small footprint. The programmability of time and number of extraction cycles guarantees an extraction under reproducible conditions. In addition, the possibility to select individual heating plates helps to save energy.