Päivi Laakso

Stereospecific analysis of triacyl-sn-glycerolsvia resolution of diastereomeric diacylglycerol derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography on silica

The compositions of positionssn-1, 2 and 3 of triacylglycerols can be determined by partial hydrolysis with ethyl magnesium bromide, derivatization of the total products with (S)-(+)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate and isolation of the diacyl-sn-glycerol urethane derivatives by chromatography on solid-phase extraction columns containing an octadecylsilyl phase. The diastereomericsn-1,2-and 2,3-diacylglycerol derivatives are separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on silica for determination of their fatty acids by gas chromatography. Each step in the process has been evaluated rigorously. The compositions of all three positions can be calculated with good accuracy from the analyses of these compounds and that of the total triacylglycerols. Although the 1,3-sn-diacylglycerol derivatives can also be isolated easily, they do not give reliable results for the composition of positionsn-2 because acyl migration occurs during their generation. The stereospecific analysis procedure has been applied to some plant and animal triacyl-sn-glycerols of commercial and scientific interest, containing predominantly C16 and C18 fatty acids,i.e. safflower, sunflower, olive and palm oils, tallow, egg and rat adipose tissue. The method is not at present suited to the analysis of more complex triacylglycerols, such as milk fat or fish oils, and problems associated with these are discussed.

ANALYSIS OF TRIACYLGLYCEROLS BY SILVER-ION HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE CHEMICAL IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETRY

Triacylglycerols of the seed oils rich in α- and/or γ-linolenic acid moieties were separated by silver-ion high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by on-line atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometric (APCI-MS) detection. Mass spectra of most triacylglycerols exhibited abundant [M + H]+ and [M − RCO2]+ ions, which defined the molecular weight and the molecular association of fatty acyl residues of a triacylglycerol, respectively. Silver ions formed weaker complexes with triacylglycerols containing γ-linolenic acid than with those containing α-linolenic acid, i.e., the elution order of molecules wasXYTγ>XYTα’,XTγTα>XTαTα>, andTγTγTγ>TγTγTα>TγTαTα>TαTαTα, whereTα=α-linolenic acid,Tγ=γ-linolenic acid, andX, Y=fatty acids different from linolenic acid. Furthermore, silver-ion HPLC resulted in partial separation within equally unsaturated triacylglycerols according to differences in the combined number of acyl carbons. Regioisomeric forms of triacylglycerols were not determined from the seed oil samples, although differences were measured with reference compounds in the relative abundances of [M − RCO2]+ ions formed by a loss of a fatty acyl residue from thesn-2 position and thesn-1/3 positions. Silverion HPLC/APCI-MS provided valuable information for structure elucidation of seed oil triacylglycerols: 43 molecular species were identified from cloudberry seed oil, 39 from evening primrose oil, 79 from borage oil, 44 from alpine currant, and 56 from black currant seed oils. The quantitation requires to be studied further, especially in those cases where several molecular weight species of triacylglycerols eluted in a single chromatographic peak.

Chromatographic resolution of chiral diacylglycerol derivatives: Potential in the stereospecific analysis of triacyl-sn-glycerols

Diacylglycerols have been separated as their (S)-(+)-or (R)-(−)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl urethanes by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a column of silica gel with 0.5% 2-propanol in hexane as the mobile phase. The elution order of components derivatized with the (S)-form of the reagent was 1,3-, followed by 1,2-, and finally 2,3-diacyl-sn-glycerols. The elution order of 1,2- and 2,3-diastereomers was reversed when the (R)-form of 1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate was used for derivatization. Single-acid 1,2- and 2,3-diastereomers were separated to the baseline with a resolution factor from 5.2–5.7, and the resolution factor between 1,3- and 1,2- or 2,3-diacyl-sn-glycerol derivatives was more than 23. Molecular species of single-acid diacylglycerol derivatives were separated in the sequence 18∶1<18∶0<18∶2<16.0.In order to assess this methodology as part of a procedure for the stereospecific analysis of triacyl-sn-glycerols, we prepared diacyl-rac-glycerols from maize oil, evening primrose oil and egg yolk triacylglycerols by partial hydrolysis with ethyl magnesium bromide. The 1,3-, 1,2- and 2,3-diacyl-sn-glycerols as (S)-(+)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl urethanes were isolated and their fatty acid compositions were determined. Although this only permitted an indirect determination of the compositions of positionssn-1,-2 and-3, it was sufficient to indicate the potential of the methodology because results comparable to those published earlier were achieved.

Analysis of north atlantic and baltic fish oil triacylglycerols by high-performance liquid chromatography with a silver ion column

Triacylglycerols from Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), sandeel (Ammodytes sp.) and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) have been fractionated by silver ion high-performance liquid chromatography. An ion exchange column loaded with silver ions was the stationary phase, and a gradient in the mobile phase from 1,2-dichloroethane/dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v) to acetone and then to acetone/acetonitrile (2∶1, v/v) was used to effect the separation with light-scattering (i.e., mass) detection. Fractions were collected via a streamsplitter, and fatty acid methyl esters were prepared by transesterification in the presence of an internal standard for identification and quantification by gas liquid chromatography. Triacylglycerols were separated according to the number of double bonds in the fatty acyl residues. Resolution was excellent at first, when the least unsaturated molecules eluted (trisaturated to dimonoene-monodiene fractions). Base-line resolution could no longer be achieved when molecules containing trienoic or more highly-unsaturated fatty acids began to elute because of overlapping components. Nonetheless, some valuable separations of species containing two saturated and/or monoenoic fatty acids and one polyenoic fatty acid were achieved. Double bond indices (average number of double bonds in each triacylglycerol molecule) were calculated to estimate the separations possible. Fractions containing at least 11–14 double bonds per molecule were obtained.

Optimization of the mass spectrometric analysis of triacylglycerols using negative-ion chemical ionization with ammonia

Conditions for the mass spectrometric analysis of triacylglycerols,via direct exposure probe, with ammonia negative-ion chemical ionization were optimized. Triacylglycerols were most favorably ionized, using the reactant gas pressure of approximately 8500 mtorr at the ion source temperature of 200°C with the instrumentation used. Abundant [M-H]− ions were produced under these conditions without the formation of [M+35]− cluster ions, which would interfere with the molecular weight region of triacylglycerols in the spectra. A rapid desorption of the sample from the probe wire is recommended, using a relatively high heating rate (approximately 40 mA s−1), to minimize thermal degradation of unsaturated molecules and the reducing effect of double bonds on the mass spectrometric response of triacylglycerols. Furthermore, the abundance of [M-H]− ion was enhanced by rapid heating, which we found to be important to improve the sensitivity. The appropriate amount of sample applied to the rhenium wire was in the region of 50–300 ng for one determination, i.e., only a few nanograms of a single triacylglycerol is required for production of a reliable spectrum. The reproducibility of the method was good as demonstrated with standards and a raspberry seed oil sample. The described mass spectrometric method is a fast and potentially useful tool for semiquantitative determination of triacylglycerol mixtures of various fats and oils. The discrimination, caused by differences in molecular size and unsaturation of triacylglycerols with 50 to 56 acyl carbons, was negligible under our optimized ionization conditions, thus, no correction factors were needed. These findings have not yet been verified with instruments in other laboratories. However, the present study shows how the analysis of triacylglycerols can be improved, regardless of the instrument, by optimization of the analytical conditions.

Triacylglycerols of winter butterfat containing configurational isomers of monoenoic fatty acyl residues. II. Saturated dimonoenoic triacylglycerols

The triacylglycerols of winter butterfat were fractionated according to the type and degree of unsaturation into six fractions by silver ion high-performance liquid chromatography (Ag-HPLC). The acyl carbon number distribution of the triacylglycerols in each fraction was elucidated by reversed-phase HPLC and mass spectrometry (MS). The MS analysis of each fraction gave deprotonated triacylglycerol [M - H]− ions which were produced by chemical ionization with ammonia. The daughter spectrum of each of the [M - H]− ions provided information on its fatty acid constituents. Successful fractionation of triacylglycerols differing in the configuration of one fatty acyl residue by Ag-HPLC was important because geometrical isomers could not be distinguished by the MS system used. In addition to the fatty acid compositions, reversed-phase HPLC analysis demonstrated the purity of the collected fractions: molecules having acis-trans difference were separated nearly to the baseline. Triacylglycerols differing in the configuration of one fatty acyl residue were not equally distributed in relation to their acyl carbon numbers. This indicates that during the biosynthesis of triacylglycerols,cis- andtrans-fatty acids are processed differently. Although the fatty acid compositions of the corresponding molecular weight species of disaturatedtrans- and disaturatedcis-monoenoic triacylglycerols were similar, there may be differences in the amounts of different fatty acid combinations or in the distribution of fatty acids between the primary and secondary glycerol positions. In addition to the main components, it was possible to analyze minor triacylglycerols, such as molecules containing one odd-chain fatty acid, by the MS system used.

Analysis of triacylglycerols— approaching the molecular composition of natural mixtures

Abstract Edible fats and oils are mainly composed of triacylglycerols synthesized by plants and animals. Natural triacylglycerols are predominantly such complex mixtures that it is impossible to separate all molecules by a single analytical technique. However, the molecular structure of triacylglycerols is of great importance from the biochemical, nutritional, and technological points of view. This article reviews the chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods in the analysis of triacylglycerols as well as the techniques for stereospecific analysis, with special attention to the analysis of milk fat and fish oils. The principles of triacylglycerol separation with high‐performance liquid chromatographic, gas chromatographic, and supercritical fluid chromatographic methods are described. In general, chromatographic techniques offer a wide variety of possibilities for separation of molecular species of triacylglycerols, but the identification of the components is often a problem. Mass spectrometry provid...

Method for Characterization of Triacylglycerols and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Edible Oils and Fats by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

This study demonstrates the usefulness of capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) for the characterization of triacylglycerols of edible oils and fats. Triacylglycerols were separated according to the acyl carbon number and the degree of unsaturation on a 25% cyanopropyl/25% phenyl/50% methylpolysiloxane stationary phase. Valuable information concerning the triacylglycerol composition of berry oils was obtained, despite the overlapping of certain triacylglycerol peaks. Simultaneous analysis of fat-soluble vitamins and triacylglycerols is not practical by capillary SFC with flame-ionization detection because of the low concentration of naturally-occurring fat-soluble vitamins in edible oils. Therefore, higher loading of the sample, which led to overloading of triacylglycerols, was required to get reasonable peaks for fat-soluble vitamins. The method was applied to the characterization of triacylglycerols and tocopherols in sea buckthorn pulp and seed oil, and cloudberry seed oil without any sample purification prior to SFC. In addition, the stationary phase proved useful for separating the more complex mixtures of triacylglycerols found in milk fat and in fish oil.

Identification of milk fat triacylglycerols by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical lonization mass spectrometry

Identification of milk fat triacylglycerols was accomplished by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) combined with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry [(APCI)MS]. Supercritical carbon dioxide was the carrier fluid in SFC. Ionization was achieved by introducing vapor of ammonia in methanol into the ionization chamber, which resulted in the formation of abundant [M+18]+ and [M-RCOO]+ ions of triacylglycerols. These ions defined both the molecular weight and the fatty acid constituents of a triacylglycerol, respectively. SFC on a nonpolar stationary phase provided an efficient separation of triacylglycerols according to the combined number of carbon atoms in the acyl chains of a molecule. In addition to the identification of the major chromatographic peaks representing molecules with 26–54 acyl carbons, minor peaks representing triacylglycerols with an odd number of acyl carbons were separated and identified. Furthermore, compositional information on partially separated isobaric triacylglycerols, which differed substantially in the chain length of the fatty acyl residues, was achieved within some of the peaks. A new finding of the present study was the formation of abundant [M+18]+ ions of saturated triacylglycerols in addition to diagnostic fragment ions, being of primary importance in structure elucidation. This extends the applicability of capillary SFC-(APCI)MS in the analysis of both saturated and unsaturated triacylglycerols.

Geographical variations in seed oils from Rubus chamaemorus and Empetrum nigrum

Abstract Seeds of cloudberry ( Rubus chamaemorus ) and crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum ) growing wild in Finland between latitudes 60.5 and 69.5° were studied. Seed size, seed oil content and the composition of seed oil triacylglycerols were determined for berries collected from 14 areas. The weight of 100 seeds varied between 0.6 and 0.9 g in cloudberries and between 0.09 and 0.13 in crowberries. Cloudberry seeds collected in southern Finland were heavier ( P P P r = −0.61). The M r distribution of triacylglycerols showed no differences between cloudberry samples from south and north Finland. The seed oil of crowberry from the north contained more triacylglycerols of 52 acyl carbons (8 mole%) and less of those of 54 acyl carbons (87 mole%) than the corresponding sample from the south (6 and 90 mole%, respectively). The most abundant fatty acids were linoleic, α-linolenic, oleic and palmitic, which constituted over 95% of all fatty acids in both berry species. Latitudinal differences existed in the fatty acid compositions; for example, the proportion of linoleic acid was highest ( P P P P