Direct Method for Simultaneous Analysis of Cholesterol and Cholesterol Oxides by HPLC in Meat and Meat Products

Cholesterol and cholesterol oxides have numerous implications for human health, highlighting the importance of determining these compounds in highly demanded and consumed foods such as meat and meat products. Gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are the most used techniques for detecting and quantifying cholesterol and its oxides. However, the former requires a time-consuming derivatization step and uses high temperatures. Thus, HPLC is an alternative method to GC. In the present chapter, we describe the procedures to carry out the direct saponification of samples, which is the preferred method for hydrolyzing samples and separating these compounds from other interfering lipids, as it is cost- and time-effective. HPLC analysis using photodiode array (PDA) and refractive index (RI) detectors is presented for identification and quantification. Moreover, it can be more precise and accurate with the support of mass spectrometry (MS) to confirm the structures of the compounds.