GC‐MS Characterization of Hydroxy Fatty Acids Generated From Lipid Oxidation in Vegetable Oils

Abstract

Lipid oxidation has long been described as following a radical chain reaction mechanism, where hydrogen abstraction is considered the preferred pathway. Hydroxy compounds are, in theory, major products formed from hydrogen abstraction but their presence is rarely monitored. In this study, a GC‐MS technique to characterize hydroxy fatty acids (FA) formed during the oxidation of sunflower and canola oils is described. First, hydroxy FA in oxidized oils are methylated and isolated from non‐oxygenated structures using solid phase extraction (SPE). Then they are converted into their trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives using a N,O‐bis (trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA)‐pyridine method and identified by their electron ionization (EI) and positive chemical ionization (PCI) spectra. Separation of most isomeric hydroxy FA with very similar structures is accomplished using a DB‐23 capillary column with (50%‐cyanopropyl)‐methylpolysiloxane phase. The fragmentation patterns of the TMS derivatives are discussed in detail and several easily applicable rules for spectral interpretations are presented. The major hydroxy FA arising from oxidation of sunflower and canola oils are allylic and conjugated structures, specifically 8‐, 9‐, 10‐, and 11‐hydroxyoctadecenoic acid (OH‐C18:1) and 9‐ and 13‐hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (OH‐C18:2).Practical Applications: Unsaturated hydroxy FA are potential indicators of hydrogen abstraction reactions by FA alkoxyl radicals during lipid oxidation. A prerequisite for the quantification of these hydroxy FA is knowledge of their structures. In this work a GC‐MS method, coupled with SPE and TMS derivatization, to characterize the hydroxy FA derived from oxidation of vegetable oils, which will enable future quantifications of these compounds is employed. In addition, the use of EI and PCI spectra provided clear strategies to interpret mass spectra for both saturated and unsaturated hydroxy FA. The fragmentation patterns in EI and PCI presented in this paper will benefit future studies on identification or quantification of both saturated and unsaturated hydroxy FA in other lipid samples.Hydroxy fatty acids in oils are methylated and isolated using solid phase extraction. They are converted into their trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives, which enabled identification by the electron ionization and positive chemical ionization spectra. Here, the fragmentation patterns of the TMS derivatives are discussed in detail and several easily applicable rules for spectral interpretations are presented.