Mass spectrometry has become an indispensable tool for the analysis of carotenoids in photosynthetic tissues, foods, and biological materials from different sources to accurately establish their pigment profile, to provide evidences to distinguish the different structural arrangements, and to obtain biological meaning from metabolic processes where carotenoids participate during the development of their natural functions and activities. The recent progresses in the hyphenated HPLC systems with hybrid mass spectrometers, which enhance the acquisition of independent and complementary physicochemical properties for the identification of carotenoids, are detailed in this chapter. A reasonable guide for the implementation of post-processing routines, assisted by modern software tools, and the key issues for the analysis of the characteristic product ions are also defined in this contribution to help the readers in the understanding of the potential capabilities of mass spectrometry in the field of carotenoid pigments.
Part of the book: Progress in Carotenoid Research