Neutral Lipid Extraction
Neutral Lipid Extraction - Related Videos
10:56
A Simple and Rapid Protocol for Measuring Neutral Lipids in Algal Cells Using Fluorescence
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Cited by 32 •
2014
A simple protocol to determine the neutral lipid content of algal cells using a Nile Red staining procedure is described. This time-saving technique offers an alternative to traditional gravimetric-based lipid quantification protocols. It has been designed for the specific application of monitoring bioprocess performance.
07:24
Sonication Extraction of Lipid Biomarkers from Sediment
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jeff Salacup - University of Massachusetts Amherst The material comprising the living "organic" share of any ecosystem (leaves, fungi, bark, tissue; Figure 1) differs fundamentally from the material of the non-living "inorganic" share (rocks and their constituent minerals, oxygen, water, metals). Organic material contains carbon linked to a series of other carbon and hydrogen molecules (Figure 2), which distinguishes it from inorganic material. Carbon's wide valency range...
08:04
Soxhlet Extraction of Lipid Biomarkers from Sediment
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jeff Salacup - University of Massachusetts Amherst Every lab needs standards that track the performance, accuracy, and precision of its instruments over time to ensure a measurement made today is the same as a measurement made a year from now (Figure 1). Because standards must test the performance of instruments over a long period of time, large volumes of the standards are often required. Many chemical standards can be purchased from retail scientific companies, like...
03:32
Nile Red Staining: A Technique to Detect and Quantify Intracellular Neutral Lipids in Algae
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2025
This video demonstrates a protocol for detecting and quantifying neutral lipids in algal cells by staining them with Nile red dye.
09:18
Purification of a Total Lipid Extract with Column Chromatography
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jeff Salacup - University of Massachusetts Amherst The product of an organic solvent extraction, a total lipid extract (TLE), is often a complex mixture of hundreds, if not thousands, of different compounds. The researcher is often only interested in a handful of compounds. The compounds of interest may belong to one of several classes of compounds, such as alkanes, ketones, alcohols, or acids (Figure 1), and it may be useful to remove the compound classes to which it does...
FAQs
Solvent polarity determines where molecules reside during neutral lipid extraction. Organic solvents dissolve hydrophobic compounds, whereas polarity differences promote partitioning between organic and aqueous phases. This behavior allows triacylglycerols, cholesteryl esters, and wax esters to be separated from more water-associated sample components, establishing the chemical basis for selective recovery.
The method most directly recovers nonpolar storage-related lipids, including triacylglycerols, cholesteryl esters, and wax esters. Their hydrophobic character favors dissolution in the organic phase rather than the aqueous phase. Consequently, the resulting extract is suited to examining neutral lipid abundance and composition, but it does not represent every lipid category present in the original biological sample.
Small differences in sample handling or incomplete separation of the organic and aqueous phases can change the amount of lipid carried into the final extract. Such losses or inconsistencies can distort chemical measurements and make comparisons less reliable. Standardized handling is therefore essential when comparing lipid profiles among cells, tissues, organisms, or experimental conditions.
A typical workflow contacts the biological sample with organic solvents, allowing hydrophobic lipids to dissolve and partition away from the aqueous phase. The separated organic fraction is then recovered, and solvent evaporation can concentrate the material. If greater resolution is needed, chromatographic separation can further resolve the extracted lipid components for chemical analysis.
These steps serve different purposes after solvent partitioning. Centrifugation helps separate phases or material with different physical densities, evaporation removes solvent and concentrates the recovered lipids, and chromatography separates lipid components based on their chemical behavior. Together, they transform a mixed extract into a more concentrated or resolved sample for measurement.
Researchers apply the method to measure lipid storage, investigate membrane-associated metabolism, and evaluate biological energy balance. Extracted profiles can also reveal changes associated with disease or environmental stress. Because samples can be compared across cells, tissues, or organisms, the technique supports studies linking lipid composition with physiological state or experimental treatment.