Triacylglycerol compositions of sunflower, corn and soybean oils examined with supercritical CO2 ultra-performance convergence chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

•UPC2-Q-TOF MS technology was utilized to analyze the TAGs in commercial vegetable oils.•A total of 30, 29 and 30 different TAGs were identified in the sunflower, corn and soybean oil samples, respectively.•The sn-position for each TAGs was determined based on high resolution MS and MS fragment information.•This technology provides an environmental friendly method for rapid analysis of TAGs profile and composition of oil/fat.

A supercritical CO2 ultra-performance convergence chromatography (UPC2) system was utilized with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) to examine the triacylglycerol compositions of sunflower, corn and soybean oils. UPC2 provided an excellent resolution and separation for the triacylglycerols, while the high performance Q-TOF MS system was able to provide the molecular weight and fragment ions information for triacylglycerol compound characterization. A total of 33 triacylglycerols were identified based on their elementary compositions and MS2 fragment ion profiles, and their levels in the three oils were estimated. The combination of UPC2 and Q-TOF MS may determine triacylglycerol compositions for oils and fats, and provide sn-position information for fatty acids, which may be important for food nutritional value and stability.