The best method for demonstration of lipids is:

• A. Frozen
• B. Fresh
• C. Paraffin-embedded
• D. Cryosection

Answer: (A)

Lipids are easily lost when tissue is processed with standard fixatives and solvents. Paraffin embedding requires dehydration with alcohol, clearing with xylene, and infiltration with paraffin, all of which dissolve or extract lipids and prevent their visualization in the section. Freezing preserves lipids by avoiding those solvent steps, so lipid-containing structures remain intact and can be visualized with lipid-specific stains such as Oil Red O or Sudan dyes. Cryosections are a form of frozen section, making them suitable for lipid demonstration because they keep lipids intact and available for staining. Therefore, freezing the tissue and cutting frozen sections provides the best method for demonstrating lipids.