THE USE OF GC-MS INSTRUMENTS

ON THE DETERMINATION OF
CONTENTS OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS IN
BREAST MILK

Titin Aryani

Fitria Siswi Utami

BACKGROUND

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and breast milk.

Possibility of omega-3 fatty acids have played a role in
the development of brain tissue in infants.
Determination of contents omega-3 fatty acids in breast
milk requires a relatively complicated process.
In the field of chemical analysis of fat in breast milk,
other components (proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins,
enzymes, minerals) that are not analyzed and contained
in breast milk should be separated beforehand.

After the fat separated from other nutrient contents, the

fat must be converted into methyl ester in order to
evaporate and readable by Chromatography-Mass
Spectroscopy (GC-MS) instrument.
Given the difficulty of identification of omega-3 fatty
acids in breast milk, required research related to
identification methods omega-3 fatty acids in breast milk
using
instruments
Gas
Chromatography-Mass
Spectroscopy (GC-MS).

Problem Formulation
1. How
the use of GC-MS instruments in
determining the content of omega-3 fatty acids
in breast milk?
2. How many content of omega-3 fatty acids in
breast milk?
Research Purposes
3. Describes the use of GC-MS instruments in
determining the content of omega-3 fatty acids
in breast milk
4. Determine content of omega-3 fatty acids in
breast milk

RESEARCH METODE
Breast milk is taken as many as 50 ml put in a 250-ml Erlenmeyer
flask. To the sample was added 50 mL HCl 5 M

Shake for 15 minutes and then do ultrasonic treatment for 1 hour.

Furthermore, the solution was extracted using n-hexane and

aquabidest until the oil separated from milk

Taken oil milk by adding 50 mL of 1 M Na2SO4 and then

do decantation (separation simple).

Dairy oil extraction results were weighed weighing 0.1 grams put in a
covered Teflon reaction tube. BF3 15% solution in methanol is added as
much as 0.5 mL

Then heated in a water bath with a temperature of 45 C for 30 minutes.

After the cold added to a solution of n-hexane as much as 0.2 mL to

form two layers.
The top layer of which is a fatty acid methyl ester was taken using a
syringe and then injected into the instrument Gas Chromatography-Mass
Spectroscophy (GC-MS).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Gas Chromatography GC chromatogram data on breast milk

samples is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Chromatogram Gas Chromatography Data on samples

of breast milk

Table 1. Data Type Fatty Acids in Breast Milk samples

Information data of GC and MS instrument, if the data generated combined omega-3 of

fatty acids are shown in a peak of number seven

CONCLUSION
1.

2.

Determining levels of omega-3 fatty acids in

breast milk can be performed using instruments
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscophy (GCMS).
Content of omega-3 fatty acids in breast milk is
16,43%.

Thank You