Development and validation of LC-MS-based alternative methodologies to GC-MS for the simultaneous determination of triterpenic acids and dialcohols in virgin olive oil.

Pentacyclic triterpenes are minor, but very relevant compounds found in virgin olive oil (VOO). A rapid and reliable LC-MS method for determining the triterpenic acids and dialcohols (after ultrasound assisted extraction) from VOO has been developed, giving an alternative to the widely used GC (FID/MS) methodologies. The analytical parameters of the proposed method were exhaustively checked, establishing limits of detection (from 1 to 95µg/l) and quantification, precision (RSD values for inter-day repeatability were found between 4.2 and 7.3% considering area values), trueness (within the range 92.7 and 100.5%) and evaluating possible matrix effect (which was no significant). The method was applied to the analysis of six triterpenic compounds in 11 monovarietal VOOs and the results compared with the quantitative GC-MS data. Moreover, the direct injection (after a simple dilution) of the samples into the LC-MS system was also tested, in an attempt to proffer an even simpler sample treatment.