Fast GC for the analysis of natural matrices. Preliminary note: The determination of fatty acid methyl esters in natural fats

Gas chromatographic (GC) separation of real world complex samples often req uires long analysis times. The fast GC techniques so far developed present a very useful tool for greatly reducing the time necessary for optimal sepa ration. When working with standard mixtures it is possible to perform extre mely fast separations, but the complexity of real samples may not suit the developed method, often requiring adjustments that will usually slow down t he separation time. In this work, some examples of the possible approaches to fast GC analyses of complex samples are given. In particular, the fast G C method for the separation of fatty acid methyl esters of butter is descri bed. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.