An improved RP-HPLC method for simultaneous analyses of squalene and cholesterol especially in aquatic foods

A simple, rapid and simultaneous method for the
quantitative evaluation of squalene and cholesterol in oil recovered
from different body parts of fresh water and marine
fish species was developed using reverse phase High performance
liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). A modified fractional
crystallization method was developed using absolute
ethanol as a solvent to obtain a fraction of squalene and cholesterol
in the oil extracted from different body parts of fish
samples. Elution of squalene and cholesterol was carried out
isocratically with 100 % acetonitrile at 195 nm by diode array
detector. Excellent linearity of the calibration curve was observed.
The limit of detection for squalene and cholesterol
were found to be 5.0 ng ml−1 and 1.0 μg ml−1 respectively.
A possible correlation was established by determining the
ratio between cholesterol and squalene which was found to
be ranging from 2 to 10. This method was successfully
employed for the determination of squalene and cholesterol
in the above mentioned samples.