Matrix-assisted ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry for the analysis of lipids.

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE Assessing the utility of vacuum matrix-assisted ionization (MAI) for the direct and rapid analysis of lipids in complex samples with emphasis on bacterial taxonomy. METHODS: Matrix-assisted ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (MAI-FTMS) was used to characterize polar and non-polar lipids in mixtures. RESULTS: For non-polar lipid triacylglycerols (TAGs), MAI-FTMS produced lipid-specific ions for eight different edible oils and allowed these oils to be identified based on their MAI-FTMS profiles. For polar lipids from bacteria, MAI-FTMS of crude lipid extracts allowed taxonomic identification of eight blind-coded samples based on taxonomy-specific phospholipid profiles. MAI produced results comparable and complementary to benchmark MALDI and ESI methods currently used for characterization of polar and non-polar lipids in the same mixtures. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed MAI technique is a rapid, simple and complementary method for the characterization of polar and non-polar lipids in complex mixtures.