LAUSR

Abstract Authentication of edible oil is important for both health and commercial reasons. A novel method was developed for discrimination of edible oil and used cooking oil by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-MSI). The method allowed rapid detection of oil authenticity by visual inspection without complex computational analyses. Edible oil was analyzed in positive ionization mode with scan range at m/z 280–1860, with numerous diagnostic ions that were able to authenticate different types of edible oil being discovered. The method exhibited good analytical performance for quantitation of major compositions of edible oil, such as triglycerides, diglycerides and monoglycerides. These results demonstrated great potential of MALDI-MSI as a routine tool for edible oil analysis.