Bacterial Identification by Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (GC-FAME)

For many years, analysis of short chain fatty acids (volatile fatty acids, VFAs) has been routinely used in identification of anaerobic bacteria. In numerous scientific papers, the fatty acids between 9 and 20 carbons in length have also been used to characterize genera and species of bacteria, especially nonfermentative Gram negative organisms. With the advent of fused silica capillary columns (which allows recovery of hydroxy acids and resolution of many isomers), it has become practical to use gas chromatography of whole cell fatty acid methyl esters to identify a wide range of organisms.