Direct analysis of intact glycidyl fatty acid esters in edible oils using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

•A GC–MS method for the analysis of intact glycidyl esters in edible oils and fats was developed.•It is the first method which uses standard GC–MS equipment widely available in analytical laboratories for oil and fat analysis.•Method sensitivity is an order of magnitude higher than those of the AOCS official method.•Quantitative GC–MS results are in good agreement with results obtained by two other methods.•Method reliability, accuracy and ruggedness are excellent allowing continuous use of the method for more than 7 months with over 400 samples being analyzed.