Boiling and hot air-drying are critical steps in Antarctic krill meal production, both of which may induce lipid oxidation and affect product quality. This study employed oxylipidomics to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze oxylipins in krill meal processed under these two key methods. The boiling group contained 57 oxylipins with a total content of 2573-3303 μg g −1 , whereas the hot air-drying group had 49 oxylipins with a markedly higher total content of 3818-6782 μg g −1 , showing significant differences in oxylipin number and total content. Integrated analysis of peroxide value (POV), malondialdehyde (MDA), fatty acid composition, and oxylipin content revealed significant differences in the impacts of boiling and hot air-drying on lipid oxidation. Correlation analysis revealed that in the boiling group, both the HDoHE/EpDPE ratio (r 2 = 0.752, p < 0.001) and the HEPE/EpETE ratio (r 2 = 0.673, p = 0.001) exhibited linear correlations with POV. In contrast, the HEPE/EpETE ratio (r 2 = 0.698, p = 0.005) in the hot air-drying group showed a linear relationship with MDA content. Statistically screened differential oxylipins demonstrated distinct correlation patterns between the two processes. Molecular docking revealed strong binding affinities between differential oxylipins and cardiovascular targets, while the biological functions of these oxylipins remain to be verified. • Oxylipidomics analyzed oxylipins in krill meal during these key processing stages. • Hydroxy/Epoxy oxylipins correlate with POV and MDA in krill meal. • Multivariate statistical analysis identified correlations among different oxylipins. • Molecular docking showed differential oxylipins may influence CVD.
Hu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.