Quantitation of phospholipids on thin layer chromatographic plates using a desk-top scanner.

A method for quantitating phospholipids separated on thin layer chromatographic plates by computer-assisted photodensitometry is described. After development, the plates are stained with molibdic reagent and the image obtained is acquired as TIFF file in the memory of a personal computer. The color intensity of the single spots of the digitalized image is analyzed using a dedicated software. Sensitivity and reproducibility are adequate for most of the needs of lipid chemist. When compared to conventional photodensitometric procedures, the present method offers the advantage of requiring a much cheaper hardware.