Simultaneous determination of short-chain fatty alcohols in aged oil and biodiesels by stable isotope labeling assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Short-chain fatty alcohols (SCFAs) are one of the reactants for the production of biodiesels. The SCFA residues at the trace level have a significant impact on biodiesel quality. However, the analysis of SCFAs in aged biodiesels has not been reported so far, which is probably due to the unavailability of an appropriate analytical method for the simultaneous determination of SCFAs. Herein, we developed a novel analytical approach with high sensitivity and selectivity for the simultaneous identification and determination of SCFAs in seed oil and biodiesel samples during the simulated real-time aging by stable isotope labeling assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SIL-LC-MS). A pair of isotope labeling reagents, pyridine (Py) and [H-2(5)]pyridine ([H-2(5)]Py), were used to label SCFAs in biodiesels and standards, respectively. The [H-2(5)]Py labeled SCFAs were used as internal standards to compensate for the detection of variances. The simultaneous determination of SCFAs was performed by LC-MS with an improved detection selectivity and sensitivity. The limits of detection (LODs) values were ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 ng mL(-1) for the investigated SCFAs. Good linearity was observed in the studied ranges (R-2 > 0.99) and good precision with relative standard deviations (RSDs) was in the range of 4.9-18.1%. Average recoveries were obtained in the range of 80.3%-115.4%. The matrix effects were in the range of 70.0-104.3%. The validated SIL-LC-MS method was applied to the simultaneous quantitative analysis of SCFAs in seed oil and biodiesel samples and the LC-MS analysis could be done within 3 min. The formation mechanism of SCFAs in aged oil and biodiesel samples was also investigated by this method. The results suggest that SCFAs were formed and their composition changed during the simulated real-time aging of long-chain fatty acid (LCFA), long-chain fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), seed oil, and biodiesels. Moreover, we found that the formation of 1-pentanol and 1-hexanol was associated with the number and position of double bonds in LCFAs and FAMEs.

Automated summary

A novel analytical approach with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed for simultaneous identification and determination of short-chain fatty alcohols in seed oil and biodiesel samples. Stable isotope labeling assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SIL-LC-MS) was successfully applied in the analysis. The results indicated that the composition of short-chain fatty alcohols changed during the simulated real-time aging process of different types of long-chain fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters.