Prev. Article Next Article Table of Contents

Article

Phosphatidylcholine from "Healthful" Egg Yolk Varieties: An Organic Laboratory Experience

Citing Articles

Your current credentials do not allow retrieval of the full text.

Purchase the full-text

PDF/HTML,
figures/images,
references and tables,
(where available)

Linda C. Hodges

Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA 30030

J. Chem. Educ., 1995, 72 (12), p 1140

DOI: 10.1021/ed072p1140

Publication Date: December 1995

Abstract

I have added an investigative element to a popular undergraduate experiment. the characterization of phosphatidylcholine (PC) from egg yolks. Varieties of eggs are commercially available which have been obtained from chickens fed a diet containing no animal fat. Presumably, less saturated fat in the diet of the chickens could be reflected in the fatty acid composition of various classes of biological lipids, including phospholipids, in the eggs from these chickens. PC is extracted using conventional methods, the extract is further purified by chromatography on silicic acid, and the column fractions are assayed for the presence and purity of PC by TLC. Fractions containing pure PC are pooled, concentrated, hydrolyzed, and esterified to obtain the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) which are identified by GLC. Comparing FAMEs derived from PC of yolks of regular eggs to those obtained from the other special brands adds a novel twist to the students' work and generates greater student interest and involvement in both the interpretation of data than a simple isolation of a biological compound alone evokes.

Keywords (Audience):

Second-Year Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Organic Chemistry

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives

Keywords (Subject):

Chromatography

View: Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links

Citing Articles

Citation data is made available by participants in CrossRef's Cited-by Linking service. For a more comprehensive list of citations to this article, users are encouraged to perform a search in SciFinder.

This article has been cited by 4 ACS Journal articles (4 most recent appear below).

Analysis of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters in Egg Yolk Using GC–MS
Lisa T. Alty
Journal of Chemical Education2009 86 (8), 962
- Analysis of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters in Egg Yolk Using GC–MS
  Lisa T. Alty
  Journal of Chemical Education2009 86 (8), 962
  To determine the fatty acid content of egg yolk lipids, fatty acid esters in egg yolk are transesterified, converting them to more volatile fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). These FAMEs are separated using gas chromatography (GC), detected using electron ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Measurement of Iron in Egg Yolk: An Instrumental Analysis Experiment Using Biochemical Principles
Kevin M. Maloney , Emmanuel M. Quiazon and Ramee Indralingam
Journal of Chemical Education2008 85 (3), 399
- Measurement of Iron in Egg Yolk: An Instrumental Analysis Experiment Using Biochemical Principles
  Kevin M. Maloney , Emmanuel M. Quiazon and Ramee Indralingam
  Journal of Chemical Education2008 85 (3), 399
  The generally accepted method to determine iron content in food is by acid digestion or dry ashing and subsequent flame atomic absorption spectrometry or inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. We have developed an experiment that ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Efficient Separation of Yolk from White in Boiled Chicken Eggs Leads to Convenient Extraction of Biologically Viable Phosphatidylcholine Lipids
Ivan Stanish , Daniel Zabetakis and Alok Singh
Journal of Chemical Education2002 79 (4), 481
- Efficient Separation of Yolk from White in Boiled Chicken Eggs Leads to Convenient Extraction of Biologically Viable Phosphatidylcholine Lipids
  Ivan Stanish , Daniel Zabetakis and Alok Singh
  Journal of Chemical Education2002 79 (4), 481
  In this biochemistry exercise, students investigate the technological and economic advantages and disadvantages of extracting phosphatidylcholine from boiled and raw chicken eggs. A number of analytical techniques are employed to isolate, purify, identify,...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
NMR of a Phospholipid: Modules for Advanced Laboratory Courses
Ruth E. Stark , Holly C. Gaede
Journal of Chemical Education2001 78 (9), 1248
- NMR of a Phospholipid: Modules for Advanced Laboratory Courses
  Ruth E. Stark , Holly C. Gaede
  Journal of Chemical Education2001 78 (9), 1248
  A laboratory project is described that builds upon the NMR experience undergraduates receive in organic chemistry with a battery of NMR experiments that investigate egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC). This material, often labeled in health food stores as ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links