Regiospecific Analysis of Triacylglycerols by Ultrahigh-Performance-Liquid Chromatography–Electrospray Ionization–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

An ultrahigh-performance-liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI–MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of AAB and ABC type triacylglycerol (TG) regioisomers. Excellent linear regressions were established between the ratio of [RR]+ product ions and the proportion of regioisomers of TGs. The method was further optimized by analysis of 18 regiospecific pairs of AAB type TGs and five triplets of regioisomers of ABC type TGs with acyl carbon number (ACN) ranging from 36 to 54 and the number of double bonds (DB) from 0 to 7. Reverse linear relationships were recognized between the slope of the calibration curve and the number of double bonds of the sn-2 fatty acids. Negative linear regressions were found between the intercepts of the calibration curves and the sum of ACN + DB of sn-2 fatty acids. The method was highly repeatable as shown by the low deviation and high stability of the calibration curves at different concentrations and between different periods of analysis. This is the first time that calibration curves for the ABC type TGs are reported. The results provide crucial and novel information for reliable and quantitative determination of regioisomeric TGs in natural fats and oils.