Lipid Chemistry, Biology and Analysis

About Lipids
Definitions, structures, composition, occurrence, biochemistry and functions of most types of fatty acids and lipids. For practical convenience, this has been subdivided into five sections -

• Basic information on what lipids are and what they do
• Fatty acids and eicosanoids
• Simple glycerolipids, sterols, lipoproteins, etc
• Complex glycerolipids - phospholipids and glycosyldiacylglycerols
• Sphingolipids

Lipid Analysis
Practical and theoretical descriptions of many different techniques used in the analysis of lipids, including gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, silver-ion chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. There is also a literature survey section that includes a current awareness service. For practical reasons, this division of the site is subdivided into six substantial sections -

• Mass spectrometry of fatty acid derivatives
• Selected topics in the analysis of lipids
• NMR chemical shifts for fatty acids and their derivatives
• Silver ion chromatography of lipids
• Gas Chromatography and Lipids
• Literature surveys of analytical methodology

Oils and Fats in the Market Place
These pages, produced by Frank Gunstone, cover the major oils and fats commodities and the main countries/regions where these are produced, traded and consumed.

What's new?
Summary of recent changes to the site, items of general interest, a Calendar of appropriate conferences, etc. We also have a page of Links to other useful sites. A 'lipid blog' discussing new publications or related items that have caught our attention has now been added.

Information and experience gained at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (Invergowrie, Dundee, Scotland (DD2 5DA) has been used to produce these web documents, as a free service to scientists and students everywhere. I am grateful to the Institute for continuing to provide me with access to library facilities.