Fatty acid analysis and detection method of Artemisia sphaerocephala seeds based on GC-MS/MS

Fatty acids act as nutrients and energy substances for cells and have important physiological functions in plant growth, development, and reproduction. The seeds of Artemisia sphaerocephala, a pioneer sand-fixing plant on mobile or semi-mobile sand dunes, have high oil content. Gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) utilizes multi-reaction detection, combining daughter and parent ions for comparison, which is more accurate in characterization and more precise in quantification than gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and has been widely used in the detection of trace pesticide residues in agricultural products. However, there are few studies on the application of the detection of fatty acids in seeds. In this study, we used the seeds of A. sphaerocephala to establish a precise qualitative and quantitative analytical method based on GC-MS/MS for six fatty acid compounds: palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and behenic acid. The accuracy and recovery of the method ranged from 0.60% to 3.22% and 91.84% to 100.14%, respectively. The method has good precision and recovery, with more accurate qualitative and quantitative functions, and can be used as an analytical method for the detection of fatty acids in plant seeds. In comparison to the results using rapeseed (Brassica napus), the results using A. sphaerocephala seeds were comparable; however, the degree of unsaturation was higher, with the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids being 1.76 times higher than that of rapeseed. The results of this paper will provide new assays for the in-depth study of lipid metabolism in plants, a scientific basis for the further development and utilization of plant resources, and a new perspective for desert ecological management and economic development.