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Triacylglycerols of human milk: Rapid analysis by ammonia negative ion tandem mass spectrometry

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Lipids

Abstract

Human milk traicylglycerols (TAG) were analyzed by ammonia negative ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The deprotonated molecular ions of triacylglycerols were fractionated at the first mass spectrometry (MS) stage. Twenty-nine of the deprotonated TAG ions were further analyzed based on their collisionally activated (CA) spectra. The tandem MS analysis covered eleven major acyl carbon number fractions, two of which contained odd carbon number fatty acids. Fatty acids of 28 different molecular weights were recorded from the daughter spectra. Hexadecanoic acid was present in all CA spectra, octadecenoic acid in the CA spectra of all mono- and higher unsaturated TAG, and octadecadienoic acid in the CA spectra of all di- and higher unsaturated TAG. The major fatty acid combinations in triacylglycerols were: with 0 double bonds (DB), 12∶0/12∶0/16∶0; with 1 DB, 12∶0/16∶0/18∶1; with 2 DB, 16∶0/18∶1/18∶1; with 3 DB, 16∶0/18∶2/18∶1; with 4 DB, 18∶2/18∶1/18∶1; and with 5 DB, 18∶2/18∶2/18∶1; hexadecanoic acid typically occupied thesn-2 position. The most abundant TAG was shown to besn-18∶1–16∶0–18∶1, comprising about 10% of all triacylglycerols.

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Abbreviations

ACN:

acyl carbon number

CA:

collisional activation

DB:

double bonds

FA:

fatty acid

GC:

gas chromatography

HPLC:

high-performance liquid chromatography

MS:

mass spectrometry

MS/MS:

tandem mass spectrometry

MW:

molecular weight

NICI MS:

negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry

TAG:

triacylglycerols

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Author notes

  1. Graeme J. Currie

    Present address: Division of Biology, 139-74, California Institute of Technology, 91106, Pasadena, CA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Food Chemistry, University of Turku, SF-20500, Turku, Finland

    Graeme J. Currie & Heikki Kallio

Authors
  1. Graeme J. Currie
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  2. Heikki Kallio
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Currie, G.J., Kallio, H. Triacylglycerols of human milk: Rapid analysis by ammonia negative ion tandem mass spectrometry. Lipids 28, 217–222 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536642

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536642

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