Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation which causes undesirable odors and flavors in food. We present the development, validation, and application of a semiquantitative screening method to monitor volatile and nonvolatile carbonyl compounds generated from lipids oxidation after 7-(diethylamino)-2-oxochromene-3-carbohydrazide (CHH) derivatization using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry. An inclusion list containing eligible compounds was used in full scan mode to identify potential oxidative markers. In an antioxidants study using lecithin and tocopherols, the proposed method was successfully used to monitor the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-specific oxidative markers in a model milk powder system enriched with fish oils. The results showed that lecithin inhibits oxidation by reducing the peroxidation rate, while δ-tocopherol delays the oxidation with distinct induction periods. Here, we explore the optimum concentration of soy lecithin and δ-tocopherol needed to limit lipid oxidation in a complex food matrix such as milk powder.
Keywords: DHA; antioxidation; carbonyl compounds; lecithin; lipid oxidation; milk powder; off-flavor; δ-tocopherol.