Comparative study of total lipids in beef using chlorinated solvent and low-toxicity solvent methods

Nine extraction methods (three using chlorinated and six nonchlorinated solvents) were compared for determining lipids, in samples of low- (<5%) and high-fat (>20%) ground beef. The nine methods investigated were: Folch, Lees, and Sloane Stanley (FLS); Bligh and Dyer (BD); Bligh and Dyer modified by Undeland, Harrod, and Lingnert (BDU); Bligh and Dyer modified by Smedes (BDS); Hara and Raclin (HR); Schmid, Bondzynski, and Ratzalaff (SBR); Roese-Gottlieb (RG); Burton, Webb, and Ingold (BWI); and Soxhlet (SE). The BIDS and HR methods do not include solvents such as chloroform and methanol and can be recommended for meat samples that have both low and high fat content. If the use of organic solvents is not critical, the FLS and the BID extraction methods yield the highest results, but the FLS is more expensive owing to the high amount of solvent required. Without considering the toxicity of the solvents, the three BID extraction methods provided the best yields.