Analysis of oxidation products of α-tocopherol in extra virgin olive oil using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

When α-tocopherol (α-Toc) exerts its antioxidative effect, a portion of α-Toc is converted to certain oxidation products. Although accumulation of such oxidation products is considered to cause a deterioration in the quality of foods, their distribution and generation in food samples have been still unknown. In this study, we tried to analyze α-Toc hydroperoxide (Toc-OOH) stereoisomers and tocopherylquinone (TQ) in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.