Regiospecific analysis of TAGs using chromatography, MS, and chromatography-MS

Abstract

In last two decades, rapid development of analytical methods and their combinations have enabled powerful chromatographical resolution of the regioisomers of TAGs, and their reliable determination by MS using soft ionization methods. In this review article, the resolution of TAG regioisomers by chromatography alone using silver-ion HPLC, reversed-phase (RP)-HPLC, and high-resolution gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) will be presented. Further, the determination of regioisomers by MS solely, using negative ion chemical ionization tandem MS was reported. In addition, the determination of regioisomers by chromatography and MS using GLC and electron ionization (EI) MS, silver ion HPLC, and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) or ESI MS, RP-HPLC APCI-MS, and RP- and normal-phase (NP)-HPLC and ESI-MS-MS, are discussed. The use of several LC columns in series, or use of two-dimensional chromatography has resulted in excellent resolution of the regioisomers of TAGs. The resolution of regioisomers prior to mass spectrometric determination is an essential analytic step, especially, when the composition and structure of short-chain TAGs, which contain abundantly other isobaric TAG, are analyzed. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.