Fatty acids stable carbon isotope fractionation in the bovine organism. A compound-specific isotope analysis through gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A Vol. 1641; p. 461966
• Main Authors: Pianezze, Silvia, Corazzin, Mirco, Perini, Matteo, Camin, Federica, Paolini, Mauro, Sepulcri, Angela, Saccà, Elena, Fabro, Carla, Piasentier, Edi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 29.03.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Bovine organism; carbon; Carbon Isotopes - analysis; Cattle; Chemical Fractionation - methods; combustion; Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA); Diet; Duodenum - metabolism; Essential fatty acids; Fatty Acids - analysis; Gas chromatography; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; isotope fractionation; Isotope Labeling; Italian simmental; liver; Liver - metabolism; Mass spectrometry; meat; Rumen - metabolism; stable isotopes; Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA); Italian simmental; Gas chromatography; Bovine organism; Essential fatty acids; Mass spectrometry
• ISSN: 0021-9673; 1873-3778
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.461966

-The δ13C of six fatty acid (FAs) was measured in diet and four bovine matrixes-The δ13C gets less negative from diet to muscle for essential and non-essential FAs-The δ13C of the individual FAs follows different trends through bovine matrixes-The use of compound specific GC-C-IRMS can trace the metabolic path of FAs The contribution of dietary fatty acids to the quality of the meat and their path through the bovine organism is currently the subject of a lot of research. Stable isotope ratio analysis represents a powerful tool for this aim, one that has not been studied in depth yet. In this work, for the first time, the carbon isotopic ratios of six fatty acids (myristic 14:0, palmitic 16:0, stearic 18:0, oleic 18:1n-9, linoleic 18:2n-6 and linolenic 18:3n-3 acids) in different matrixes (diet, rumen, duodenal content, liver and loin) were analysed through gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Moreover, the quantification of the single fatty acids was carried out, providing important information supporting the carbon isotopic ratio results. The variation in the concentration of the fatty acids in the different matrices depends on the chemical modifications they undergo in the sequential steps of the metabolic path. GC-C-IRMS turned out to be a powerful tool to investigate the fate of dietary fatty acids, providing information about the processes they undergo inside the bovine organism.