Analytical methods in sphingolipidomics: Quantitative and profiling approaches in food analysis

Area of Science:

• Sphingolipidomics as an emerging omic science.
• Focus on characterization, content, structure, and activity of sphingolipids.
• Potential impact on biomarker discovery, drug development, and systems biology.

Background:

• Dietary sphingolipids are gaining importance due to their bioactivity.
• Complexity and diversity of sphingolipids in food necessitate advanced analytical methods.
• Significant advancements in mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography have improved sphingolipid analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review analytical methods for sphingolipidomics in food analysis.
• To cover sample extraction, chromatographic separation, and MS-based identification/quantification.
• To discuss NMR for structural elucidation and future promising technologies.

Main Methods:

• Review of established and emerging analytical techniques for sphingolipidomics.
• Emphasis on mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography for identification and quantification.
• Inclusion of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for structural elucidation.

Main Results:

• Current sphingolipidomics methodologies rely on advanced MS and chromatography.
• Novel hyphenated NMR strategies, new ionization techniques, and MS imaging show promise.
• Detailed analytical approaches for sphingolipids in food matrices are presented.

Conclusions:

• Advanced analytical methodologies are essential for sphingolipidomics in food.
• MS and chromatography are foundational, with NMR providing structural insights.
• Emerging technologies are poised to advance the field of sphingolipid analysis.