Determination of DHA and Linoleic Acid Contents in Infant Formula Milk Powder by GC-MS

A method to determine docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) and linoleic acid contents in infant formula milk powder by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) was developed.Samples were methylesterized with acetyl chloride-MeOH,followed by extraction with toluene before GC-MS analysis.The external standard method was used for quantification.The average spike recoveries for DHA and linoleic acid in a commercial sample were 96%-110%.The developed method proved simple,precise,accurate and reliable,thereby being suitable for the determination of DHA and linoleic acid contents in infant formula milk powder.