What is FAME analysis and how is it used in food testing?

FAME stands for fatty acid methyl ester. FAME analysis is the standard method for profiling the fatty acid composition of edible oils and fats. It is used across food production, quality control, and regulatory testing to confirm what is in a product and whether it matches what the label says.

Why it matters

Every edible oil has a characteristic fatty acid profile. Olive oil has a different ratio of oleic to linoleic acid than sunflower oil, which has a different profile to palm oil. Measuring those ratios tells you two things: what the oil is, and whether it has been adulterated with a cheaper alternative.

This is not a theoretical concern. Oil adulteration is one of the most common forms of food fraud globally. FAME analysis is the standard analytical tool for detecting it.

Beyond authenticity, fatty acid profiling is used for nutritional labelling, raw material incoming checks, and process monitoring. Any time you need to know what fats are in a product and in what proportions, FAME analysis is the method.

How it works

The fat or oil sample is first converted into fatty acid methyl esters through a chemical derivatisation step (transesterification). The resulting FAMEs are volatile enough to be separated by gas chromatography. Each fatty acid produces a distinct peak on the chromatogram, and the relative peak areas give you the composition profile.

The Ellutia 200 Series GC with FID provides clear separation of key fatty acids including oleic, linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acid. The method is well established and runs on standard capillary columns.

Is this suitable for routine use?

Yes. FAME analysis is a routine method used daily in food QA laboratories worldwide. The Ellutia 200 Series GC handles it without requiring specialist infrastructure, and the same instrument can also run other food applications such as residual solvent testing.

Want to discuss FAME analysis for your laboratory? Get in touch with the team.