Two-step cleanup procedure for the identification of carotenoid esters by liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry

• A cleanup method for the identification of carotenoid esters by LC–MS is proposed.
• Carotenoid ester profile of murici is reported for the first time.
• Only after cleanup, 29 out of 35 carotenoids from murici were identified.
• 83% of the carotenoids present in murici fruits are found in the esterified form.

Carotenoids are naturally found in both free form and esterified with fatty acids in most fruits; however, up to now the great majority of studies only evaluated their composition after saponification. This fact is easily explained by the difficult to analyze carotenoid esters. Preliminary studies showed that cleanup procedures in the extract are necessary for further analysis by LC–MS/MS since triacylglycerols (TAGs) impair the MS detection. Considering these facts, we developed a new cleanup procedure to remove TAGs and other lipids from carotenoid fruit extracts. This procedure is based on physical removal of solid lipids at low temperature followed by open column chromatography on MgO and diatomaceous earth. Before cleanup, four carotenoid diesters and two free xanthophylls were identified in murici (Byrsonyma crassifolia), corresponding to about 65% of the total chromatogram area. After carrying out the two-step cleanup procedure, 35 carotenoids were identified, being 14 monoesters, six free carotenoids and 15 carotenoid diesters. We can conclude that this two-step procedure was successfully applied to murici, an Amazonian fruit, which contains high amounts of lipids.