title: Gas chromatography - optical fiber detector for assessment of fatty acids in urban soils.
abstract: Fatty acids have been used as biomarkers of the microbial community composition of soils and they are usually separated and quantified by gas-chromatography coupled to a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The aim of this study was to develop, validate and apply a methodology based on gas chromatography coupled to optical fiber detection (GC-OF) for screening five fatty acids used as indicators of fungal and bacterial communities in urban soils. The performance of the GC-OF methodology (optical fiber detector at 1,550 nm) was evaluated by comparison with the GC-FID methodology and it was found that they were comparable in terms of linear range, detection limit and analytical errors. Besides these similar analytical characteristics, the GC-OF is much cheaper than the GC-FID methodology. Different concentrations were determined for each fatty acid indicator which in turn varied significantly between the soil samples analyzed from Lisbon ornamental gardens. Additionally, the GC-OF showed a great potential as alternative for determination of eleven or more fatty acids in urban soils.
authors.affiliation: CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies) & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. lisilva@ua.pt
authors.forename: Lurdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Anabela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cachada
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Teresa A P
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rocha-Santos
authors.forename: Teresa S L
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Panteleitchouk
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Armando Costa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Duarte
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D002947:Cities; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D055100:Optical Fibers; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005227:Fatty Acids; D012987:Soil