Quantification of Lipid Content in Oleaginous Biomass Using Thermogravimetry

Balakrishna Maddi; Agasteswar Vadlamani; Sridhar Viamajala; Sasidhar Varanasi

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-9484-7_6

Quantification of Lipid Content in Oleaginous Biomass Using Thermogravimetry

Methods Mol Biol. 2019:1995:121-129. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9484-7_6.

Authors

Balakrishna Maddi¹, Agasteswar Vadlamani², Sridhar Viamajala³, Sasidhar Varanasi²

Affiliations

¹ Suganit Bio-Renewables LLC, Toledo, OH, USA.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA. Sridhar.viamajala@utoledo.edu.

PMID: 31148124
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9484-7_6

Abstract

Laboratory analytical techniques employed for triglyceride quantification in oleaginous biomass (e.g., microalgae and oilseeds) involve multiple steps and typically require use of volatile organic solvents. Here we describe a single-step approach for measurement of triglycerides using thermogravimetry (TG). We have observed that triglycerides undergo complete volatilization over a narrow temperature interval of 370-450 °C, with negligible solid residue under inert atmosphere, whereas other constituents of oleaginous biomass (such as proteins and carbohydrates) primarily degrade below 350 °C. As a result, triglyceride content of biomass can be estimated using TG by determining the mass loss of the sample in the temperature interval of 370-450 °C.

Keywords: Lipids; Microalgae; Oleaginous biomass; Thermogravimetry; Triglycerides.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Biomass
Hot Temperature
Microalgae / chemistry*
Thermogravimetry / methods*
Triglycerides / analysis*
Volatilization

Substances

Triglycerides