Rapid fingerprinting of sterols and related compounds in vegetable and animal oils and phytosterol enriched- margarines by transmission mode direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry.
Plant-derived sterols, often referred to as phytosterols, are important constituents of plant membranes where they assist in maintaining phospholipid bilayer stability. Consumption of phytosterols has been suggested to positively affect human health by reducing cholesterol levels in blood via inhibition of its absorption in the small intestine, thus protecting against heart attack and stroke. Sterols are challenging analytes for mass spectrometry, since their low polarity makes them difficult to ionize by both electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), typically requiring derivatization steps to overcome their low ionization efficiencies. We present a fast and reliable method to characterize the composition of phytosterols in vegetable oils and enriched margarines. The method requires no derivatization steps or sample extraction procedures thanks to the use of transmission mode direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (TM-DART-MS).
ThoMSon Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil; School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332 Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: rmalberici@hotmail.com.
Rosana M
RM
Alberici
Fats and Oils Laboratory, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Gabriel D
GD
Fernandes
ThoMSon Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Andréia M
AM
Porcari
ThoMSon Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Marcos N
MN
Eberlin
Fats and Oils Laboratory, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Daniel
D
Barrera-Arellano
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332 Atlanta, GA, USA; Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. Electronic address: facundo.fernandez@chemistry.gatech.edu.
Facundo M
FM
Fernández
D008383:Margarine / Q000032:analysis*; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000032:analysis*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods; D013261:Sterols / Q000032:analysis*
D010840:Phytosterols; D010938:Plant Oils; D013261:Sterols; D008383:Margarine
Ambient mass spectrometry; Direct analysis in real time; Margarines; Phytosterols; Vegetable and animal oils