Optimizing accelerated solvent extraction combined with liquid chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometry for efficient lipid profile characterization of mozzarella cheese

In this study, a novel Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) procedure combined with UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS was developed for detailed untargeted lipid profile of mozzarella cheese. Response Surface Methodology and Pareto front, using a Central Composite Design (CCD), were employed to define the optimised combination of extraction temperature, number of extraction cycles and mix of solvents. LipidSearchTM software was used for a reliable and accurate lipid identification. A total of 13 subclasses, including ceramides, diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, lysophosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylinositols, sphingomyelins, bismethyl phosphatidic acids, cholesterol ester, zymosterol ester, hexosyl ceramides were measured. The elaboration of the CCD showed that the solvents ratio was the main factor affecting the extraction efficiency. The optimised ASE method, together with the Folch extraction, synergistically contributed to a complete characterization of lipid profile of mozzarella cheese, confirming ASE technique, associated with high resolution mass spectrometry detection, as an efficient tool for Lipidomics in food science.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) procedure combined with UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS was developed for detailed untargeted lipid profile of mozzarella cheese. The optimised ASE method, together with the Folch extraction, contributed to a complete characterization of lipid profile of mozzarella cheese, confirming ASE technique, associated with high resolution mass spectrometry detection, as an efficient tool for Lipidomics in food science.