Evaluation of Dog Food Authenticity through Lipid Profile Using GC-FID and ESI‑MS

Abstract

Considering the increasing number of low cost vegetable oil product adulterations, it is necessary to assess the authenticity of the lipid sources used in the dog food manufacture, consequently different brands and classifications of feed were analyzed to verify the product authenticity by gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID) and by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Fatty acid (FA) composition analysis was performed to compare the FAs amount in samples with the respective guarantee levels stated by the manufacturers on its product label. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) results for omega-3 and 6 percentages are within the limits presented by each manufacturer, while the timnodonic + cervonic acids amount information presented on feed sample labels is not in accordance with GC-FID results. Consequently, the samples were analyzed by ESI-MS, the results exposed the chicken oil presence in the feed and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) + docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids absence, since no lipid profiles similar to fish oils or triacylglycerols (TAGs) containing these two FAs were found. Thus, the information presented on labels are in disagreement with the results obtained both by GC-FID FA composition analysis and by ESI-MS lipid profile analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that the main contribution was from FAs found by GC-FID.