MALDI-FT-ICR-MS for archaeological lipid residue analysis

Area of Science:

• Archaeochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Soft-ionization techniques are crucial for analyzing degraded archaeological organic materials.
• Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (MALDI-FT-ICR-MS) is a powerful, yet underutilized, soft-ionization method.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate MALDI-FT-ICR-MS for identifying lipid residues in archaeological samples.
• To develop and describe an efficient sample preparation protocol for degraded food remains.

Main Methods:

• Application of MALDI-FT-ICR-MS for lipid residue analysis.
• Methodology development including sample preparation for cooked and degraded food remains.
• Validation through parallel analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS).

Main Results:

• MALDI-FT-ICR-MS demonstrated high sensitivity and resolution for identifying diverse lipid compounds (dairy, adipose, aquatic).
• Successful identification of lipids in both experimentally cooked and original archaeological samples.
• The developed protocol proved effective for analyzing aged and degraded lipid residues in different matrices.

Conclusions:

• MALDI-FT-ICR-MS is a highly suitable and sensitive technique for analyzing archaeological lipid residues.
• The established methodology and sample preparation protocol provide a valuable reference for future studies on degraded organic materials.