Fast GC for the analysis of natural matrices. Preliminary note: The determination of fatty acid methyl esters in natural fats

Gas chromatographic (GC) separation of real world complex samples often requires long analysis times. The fast GC techniques so far developed present a very useful tool for greatly reducing the time necessary for optimal separation. When working with standard mixtures it is possible to perform extremely fast separations, but the complexity of real samples may not suit the developed method, often requiring adjustments that will usually slow down the separation time. In this work, some examples of the possible approaches to fast GC analyses of complex samples are given. In particular, the fast GC method for the separation of fatty acid methyl esters of butter is described.