Stereospecific Characterization of Triacylglycerols in Vegetable Oils by Chiral Supercritical Fluid Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

Abstract Although triacylglycerols (TGs) in vegetable oils are comparatively well characterized at the molecular species level, the detailed stereospecific composition and species-dependent variation remain largely unexplored. This study examined the separation and chiral elution behavior of eight asymmetric TG molecular species using supercritical fluid chromatography mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) with two CHIRALPAK IG-U columns and an acetonitrile/methanol modifier. Following evaluation using TG standards, the chiral SFC-MS method was applied to separate and characterize regioisomers and enantiomers of five asymmetric TG molecular species containing both saturated and unsaturated fatty acyls across 12 vegetable oils. Stereospecific profiles of these TG molecular species varied markedly among plant species, revealing nonrandom patterns and interspecies differences in fatty acyl distribution within the glycerol backbone of TGs. These findings contribute to understanding the chirality in TG biosynthesis in plants and offer valuable information to support targeted food formulation and product development.