SEMIAUTOMATED METHOD FOR THE COLORIMETRIC DETERMINATION OF PLASMA FREE FATTY ACIDS.

A semiautomated procedure is described for the estimation of plasma free fatty acids. The method requires the preliminary preparation of a phospholipid-free plasma lipid extract which is then analyzed automatically by a colorimetric procedure based on the solubility of copper soaps in chloroform, with subsequent complexing of the copper with diethyldithiocarbamate and measurement of the extinction at 440 mp.