Quantification of 4-Hydroxyalkenals in Oils Consumed in Korea

4-Hydroxyalkenals are cytotoxic aldehydes generated by the oxidation of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. To evaluate the potential risk of 4-hydroxyalkenals on Koreans, quantitative data of various oils are necessary. Simultaneous monitoring of 4-hydroxyhexenal and 4-hydroxynoneal in 39 samples including new and used ones through single ion monitoring mode of GC/MS detected both aldehydes in all samples tested, ranging from 0.21 to 26.9 nmol/g for 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal and 0.06 to 56.6 nmol/g for 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. Frying oils collected from local markets showed 2.28-7.90 and 8.31-30.5 nmol/g of 4-hydroxyhexenal and 4-hydroxynoneal, respectively. National health and nutrition survey data were employed to determine the exposure effect to these 4-hydroxyalkenals from the four most consumed oils in Korea. Daily exposures to hydroxyalkenals excluding possible exposure from fried food were from soybean oil, from sesame oil, from corn oil, and from perilla oil. Due to the increasing consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids in Korea, these data may provide valuable information for evaluating possible physiological effects of 4-hydroxyalkenals from vegetable oils.