Lipophenols have been stressed as an emerging class of functional compounds. However, little is known about their diversity. Thus, this study is aimed at developing a new method for the extraction, cleanup, and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS)-based analysis of the lipophenols derived from hydroxytyrosol (HT): α-linolenic (HT-ALA), linoleic acid (HT-LA), and oleic acid (HT-OA). The method validated provides reliable analytical data and practical applications. It was applied to an array of oily (extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, flaxseed oil, grapeseed oil, and margarine) and aqueous (pineapple juice) matrices, nonfortified and fortified with HT. Also, the present work reported the formation of fatty acid esters of HT (HT-FAs) that seem to be closely dependent on the fatty acid profile of the food matrix, encouraging the further exploration of the theoretical basis for the generation of HT-FAs, as well as their contribution to the healthy attributions of plant-based foods.
Keywords: cytotoxicity; fatty acids; hydroxytyrosol; lipophenols; mass spectrometry; oily foods.