A Research on Determination of Lecithin in Eggs by Applying Microwave Digestion Techniques and Spectrophotometry

Abstract

A method to quick detect concentration of lecithin in eggs, namely microwave digestion spectrophotometry, was established in this research. The homogenate of eggs was treated with absolute ethanol to eliminate phosphate protein in eggs which could possibly affect concentration of lecithin examined. A sample then received a new way of pre-treatment, called microwave digestion, before UV-Vis spectrometry was applied to examine the concentration of phosphate at 400nm. The linear equation was A = 0.08628X (μg), the corresponding coefficient of correlation was 0.9998,the detection limit of phosphorous was 0.2mg (n=11). The content of lecithin in eggs was then obtained. According to the result, the recovery of 90% was secured; therefore the conclusion of high degree of accuracy was reached.

Keywords

• spectrophotometry
• microwave digestion
• phosphatidylcholine