Lipid Analysis 3rd Edition - read the reviews!

Written by William W. Christie. Published in 2003.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9531949-5-7.

The Fourth Edition of Lipid Analysis was published in January 2010 and there has not yet been time for reviews to be published in the scientific literature. Therefore, on this page we provide reviews of the Third Edition. For more details of Lipid Analysis 4th Edition, please see the main Lipid Analysis web page.

Dr Robert A. Moreau, USDA-ARS Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, USA, writing in INFORM, August 2003, Vol.14, (8) pp.507–508.

"The author is generally considered to be the most prominent international authority on lipid analysis...this book is an excellent compilation of the most useful modern analytical methods for lipid analysis. I am confident that it will serve for many years as a valuable reference tool to all oil chemists who are involved in the analysis of lipids from animals, plants, or microbes."

Dr Franz Ulberth, European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Geel, Belgium, writing in European J. of Lipid Science and Technology , 2003, Vol.105, pp.781–782.

This is the new edition of Christie's immensely popular book on lipid analysis. In comparison to the second edition which came out in 1982 and had 207 pages it has grown in volume. Nevertheless, it was not the author's objective to compile an encyclopaedic compendium on the subject, but it was always Bill's hope that the book should "remain on the laboratory bench, not on the library shelf". In the older editions he formidably succeeded in presenting a balanced mix between theoretical background and step-by-step instructions how to put theory into practice in a lipid chemists' laboratory. Personally, l tried a lot of the methods he suggested, and they really worked! In the new edition this proven concept was retained, and I am sure that the readership will appreciate that very much.....

The revised version of Lipid Analysis is not more of the same stuff with the addition of a couple of new data. It has been completely re-written and re-structured and is easy to follow, even for a novice in this field. However, as with the past versions, chromatographic techniques are still the centrepiece of the treatise, but the developments that led to the coupling of spectroscopic techniques, in particular mass spectrometry, to GLC and HPLC are now covered. High-resolution chromatography, which was in its infancy when the former editions appeared, has to a large extent replaced packed column GLC and column chromatography, and this is adequately reflected in the new edition. ...On top of that, in each chapter the analyst finds an ensemble of method descriptions, which can be applied mostly without consulting other references....

Compared to the previous editions the chapter on chromatographic analysis of lipids has been expanded and includes now the basic theory and instrumentation of HPLC (columns, detectors, etc.). The section on silver-ion chromatography, either in the form of TLC or HPLC was adequately expanded to demonstrate the potential of this powerful method for the separation of fatty acids or triacylglycerols according to their degree of unsaturation. Completely new is the chapter on mass spectrometry as a tool to identify lipids and to locate the position of double bonds in the acyl-chain of fatty acids, and the one on methods for the determination of the positional distribution of fatty acids in glycerolipids.

To sum up, I wholeheartedly recommended the third edition of Lipid Analysis, published by one of the most reputed scientists in this field, to anyone who has a need to analyse lipids.

Professor Arnis Kuksis, University of Toronto, Canada, writing in Lipid Technology, March 2003, Vol.15, p.47.

Dr W.W. Christie is well-known for his pioneering work in lipid analysis, numerous publications, reviews and texts on chromatography of lipids. The completely rewritten third edition of Lipid Analysis extends the literature review to 2002 in some cases. The book is subdivided into four sections of equal size, which cover lipid structure and occurrence, general principles of chromatographic analysis, separation and analysis of individual lipid classes, analysis of fatty acids, and analysis of molecular species. All references are given at the end of the book in order of citation.

The organization of the discussion of the different chromatographic methods is arranged according to the type of detection employed, including mass spectrometry. This approach helps to identify immediately the salient points of each technique. Despite this type of writing, the text contains minimal repetition. The mastery of the subject is further reflected in the practical detail supplied and in the theoretical coverage of chromatography on a need-to-know basis. All sections are written in a user-friendly way and sprinkled with personal commentary. Abbreviations are kept to a minimum and even the common usage of PC and PE to identify phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, respectively, is limited to figures only.

In many respects the book compares to a master menu of a computer, with frequent reference to slave menus for more detailed coverage of specific points by the author or his trusted correspondents in Advances in Lipid Methodology and elsewhere. Although some of the latter reviews would appear to be dated, they are still the best available at the moment.

The three basic chromatographic systems (TLC, HPLC and GLC) are covered in detail, but HPLC appears to be favoured. A lack of a universal detector, however, restrains it from conquering the world. The commercial demise of the flame ionization detector suitable for HPLC is rightfully deplored. I found no errors of fact or any arguments with the good laboratory practices recommended. The book emphasizes a constant need to guard against sample peroxidation, especially during TLC, but the presence of metal ions in chromatographic column supports may also contribute to lipid oxidation. The text and bibliography are essentially free of typographical errors. The book concludes with a useful Index.

Despite rapid advances in direct inlet MS² and MS³ methodology of lipid analysis and computerized data processing, chromatography is unlikely to be replaced entirely and will remain an essential part of lipid analysis for many years to come. Without a doubt, this is the definitive text on lipid analysis that should be present in any lipid laboratory.

THE OILY PRESS

Books on oils, fats and other lipids published by PJ Barnes & Associates

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LIPID ANALYSIS — THIRD EDITION