Analysis of the Sucrose Fatty Acid Esters by Atmospheric-pressure Ionization MS with Electrospray Ionization Spectrometry

Abstract Commercial and synthesized sucrose fatty acid esters were qualitatively analyzed by atmospheric-pressure ionization MS with electrospray ionization. Straight-forward mass characterization of the complex mixtures could be achieved. By using methanol/tetrahydrofuran as solvent, the constituents were identified on the basis of quasi-molecular ions. Individual components could be observed as protonated molecular ions [M+Na]+ and/or as their K+ adducts in positive mode. The mass spectrometric investigation showed that the mixtures of sucrose fatty acid esters contained mono-, di-, tri-, tetra- or polyesters; the sucrose fatty acid esters are mixture of two types of nonionic surfactants: sucrose palmitates and sucrose stearates. The results indicate the atmospheric-pressure ionization MS with electrospray ionization analysis is an effective method for the analysis of sucrose esters composed of different isomers. The rapid and highly sensitive atmospheric-pressure ionization MS with electrospray ionization analysis technique proposed here is well suited for direct characterization of sucrose esters.