Triacylglycerols Oxidation in Oils and Fats Monitored by Easy Ambient Sonic-Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Oxidation is the major cause of fat and oil deterioration which produces rancid and unpleasant flavors that drastically reduces their quality and nutritional value. The primary oxidation products are triacylglycerols (TAG) containing unsaturated fatty acyl hydroperoxides formed by a chain process occurring through free radical intermediates. The Rancimat method is currently the gold standard for measuring the oxidative stability of oils and fats. In this report, easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) is demonstrated to function as a direct (no pre-separation or sample preparation steps), fast and accurate method to monitor oils and fats oxidation, providing detailed overviews of the most immediate TAG hydroperoxide products. The EASI-MS results were compared to those obtained via the classical Rancimat test.