The table below holds the results from the experiment.

Using the collected crude

lipid extract from the chicken yolk, the lipids were analyzed. The first eluate was
found out to be triacylglycerol, next was cholesterol and last was lecithin.

Eluates Component
s
1st Eluate Triacylglyc
erol
2nd Eluate Cholesterol
3rd Eluate Lecithin

Chromatography of lipids using a glass column filled with a suitable substance is a

useful method for the fractionation of lipids. The retention results in a variety of
mechanisms including hydrogen bonding, ionic bonding, and Van der Waals forces.
The solid phase is relatively polar and the more polar the lipid, the better
adsorption. The lipids are eluted by increasingly polar solvents. T h i s technique
has a low resolution when used at low pressure (Solid Phase Extraction or SPE)
but has a high resolution (high performance) when run at high pressure using a
stationary phase made of fi ne particles (HPLC). The former is restricted to
the fractionation of complex mixtures into two or three less complex ones, the latter
being adopted to analyze and quantify purified fractions. Lecithin is the most polar
among the three eluates followed by cholesterol and triacylglycerol at last.
The first eluate was triacylglycerol. This is the main component of plant and animal
lipids and is an ester of the three fatty acids and glycerol. They are also the most
concentrated form of energy in the human body and is stored in subcutaneous
layers of fat deposits in our bodies. They have a lower density than water so they
float.
The second eluate was cholesterol. It is a compound that is naturally produced by
the body which is comprised of lipid and steroid. Cholesterol is the building block of
cell membranes and hormones. Around 80% of the bodys cholesterol is produced
by the liver while the other 20% comes from our diet.
The third eluate was lecithin. This is a lipid that is composed mostly of choline but
also has inositol, phosphorus and linoleic acid. The main function of this lipid is to
keep cholesterol in check meaning it helps prevent and protect the body from
cardiovascular diseases and it also helps improve some of our bodily processes
(brain function, absorption of vitamin A and B1).