Fast and sensitive UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of typical α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and malondialdehyde in various vegetable oils and oil-based foods

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a method for simultaneously analyzing malondialdehyde (MDA) and two typical toxic α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE), and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS). The method possessed widely linear range (10–1000 ng/mL). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of MDA, HHE, and HNE were 2.0 and 5.0 ng/g, 2.0 and 5.0 ng/g, and 0.1 and 0.3 ng/g, respectively; the recovery rates all fall into 95.56–104.22 %. The method was sufficiently precise (<5%), and not affected by the analysis matrix. Application to 17 food products revealed total MDA, HHE, and HNE contents were 0.11–3.56, 0.05–3.32, and 0.09–3.70 μg/g, respectively. It will be useful in future research on the influence of food composition and main substrate structure on the generation and distribution of these three aldehydes and the implementation of corresponding control methods.