A novel strategy for discriminating marine oils by using the positional distribution (sn-1, sn-2, sn-3) of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in triacylglycerols

Talanta. 2018 May 15:182:32-37. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.01.030. Epub 2018 Jan 31.

Abstract

A novel strategy for discriminating genuine and adulterated marine oils is proposed. The strategy consists of i) determining the stereospecific distribution (sn-1, sn-2 and sn-3) of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) on the backbone of triacylglycerols by using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; ii) transforming the qualitative stereospecific information into quantitative data by means of a novel strategy; iii) analyzing the transformed data by principal component analysis. The proposed strategy was tested on pure oils (seal, salmon, cod liver, sandeel, blue whiting, herring), a mixture of blue whiting, herring, sandeel and Norway pout and some intentionally adulterated oils. In addition, some published krill oil data were analyzed to confirm the reliability of the new approach.

Keywords: Adulteration; Fish oil; Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry; Marine oil; Positional distribution; Triacylglycerol.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / chemistry
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / classification
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / isolation & purification*
  • Fishes / metabolism
  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Food Contamination / prevention & control
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Triglycerides / chemistry
  • Triglycerides / classification
  • Triglycerides / isolation & purification*

Substances

  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Triglycerides