Determination of illegal additive - ethyl maltol in edible oil by LC-MS/MS in China

A method was established for the determination of illegal additive - ethyl maltol in 5 kinds of edible oils from China by LC-MS/MS. Several experimental parameters including the extraction solvent, column, moving phase and conditions of LC-MS/MS were investigated and optimized. 46 edible oil samples from Chinese supermarkets and local streets market have been detected. The method showed good linearity at the range of 20-150 ng mL -1 for ethyl maltol. The recoveries of analytes were in the range of 89.5% -101%. The relative standard deviations varied between 1.8% and 6.4% (n=5). The results showed that the proposed method was a rapid, convenient and feasible method for the determination of the ethyl maltol in edible oils. • Faster detection of the illegal additive ethyl maltol in only 5 min. • A much new method to detect the illegal additive-ethyl maltol. • In favor of regulating the edible oils in China markets. • To improve the quality of vegetable oils, get the safety food. • To helps formulate a new national regulation for policy-makers, making this study imperative to public health.