The aim of this study was to develop an efficient method for cholesterol oxide product (COP) determination in irradiated and non-irradiated ready-to-eat foods with high water content by gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector after accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), and derivatisation with a silylating reagent.The ASE solvent was an 85:15 v/v petroleum ether/chloroform mixture at 40 °C and 1500 psi followed by solid phase extraction. The ASE method was compared with the established lixiviation method, proving an advantageous alternative which reduces analysis time by a factor of 15 and solvent volume by 50%, and minimises the use of chlorinated solvents. COP derivative structures were identified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Analytical characteristics were determined from standards and recoveries were 63-95%, establishing the validity of the method.The results obtained and their analysis by chemometric techniques established COP formation in food samples after e-beam irradiation. Increase in COP concentration depended on both irradiation doses and food composition, mainly water and fat content, although linear correlations among variables were not found. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.