Rapid, convenient methods have been developed for fatty acid analysis of membrane glycerophospholipids in microorganisms. Fatty acid methyl esters derived from glycerophospholipids have been prepared directly from wet pellets of Escherichia coil cells or Saccharomyces cerevisiae spheroplasts without lipid extraction and fractionation in high yields under mild temperature conditions for analysis by gas chromatography. (C) 2012, The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.