Plant-based foods are characterized by significant amounts of bioactive molecules with desirable health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family consists of 350 genera; ...among them,
is the most important one, which includes some crops and species of great worldwide economic importance. In this work, the metabolite content of three different cultivars of
, namely ISCI Top, "Broad-leaf," and ISCI 99, was determined using comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection. The analyses were carried out under reversed-phase conditions in both dimensions, using a combination of a 250-mm microbore cyano column and a 50-mm RP-Amide column in the first and second dimension (
D), respectively. A multi (three-step) segmented-in-fraction gradient for the
D separation was advantageously investigated here for the first time, leading to the identification of 37 metabolites. In terms of resolving power, orthogonality values ranged from 62% to 69%, whereas the corrected peak capacity values were the highest for
ISCI Top (639), followed by
"Broad-leaf" (502). Regarding quantification,
cv. "Broad-leaf" presented the highest flavonoid content (1962.61 mg/kg) followed by
cv. ISCI Top (1002.03 mg/kg) and
cv. ISCI 99 (211.37 mg/kg).
L. (Anacardiaceae), commonly known as sumac, has been used since ancient times for many different applications, and nowadays is used mostly as a spice obtained from its in the Mediterranean and the ...Middle ground fruits and employed for flavoring and garnishing food, predominantly Eastern regions. Traditionally, sumac has been also used in popular medicine for the treatment of many ailments including hemorrhoids, wound healing, diarrhea, ulcers, and eye inflammation. Sumac drupes are indeed rich in various classes of phytochemicals including organic acids, flavonoids, tannins, and others, which are responsible of their powerful antioxidant capacity, from which treatment of many common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer could benefit. In this work we evaluated the influence of fruit ripeness, conservation, and processing. To this aim, a phytochemical characterization of six different samples of
L. was carried out. Specifically, headspace solid-phase micro extraction gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection, were employed. A total of 263 volatile compounds, including terpene hydrocarbons, acids, and aldehydes, as well as 83 polyphenolic compounds, mainly gallic acid derivatives, were positively identified. All samples showed a significant antioxidant activity by means of oxygen radical absorbance capacity, in line with their polyphenolic content and composition. Such findings set a solid ground to support the utilization of this plant as an attractive target for novel nutraceutical approaches and for drug discovery.
The aim of the present study was to determine the volatile compounds of three different species of chili peppers, using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) methods in combination with gas ...chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The detection of marker aroma compounds could be used as a parameter to differentiate between species of chili peppers for their detection and traceability in chili pepper food. The sensorial contribution was also investigated to identify the predominant notes in each species and to evaluate how they can influence the overall aroma. Three different pepper species belonging to the
were analyzed:
,
and
A total of 269 volatile compounds were identified in these species of chili peppers. The
species were characterized by a high number of acids and ketones, while the
and
were characterized by esters and aldehydes, respectively. The volatile profile of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) flavored with chili peppers was also investigated, and principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of the volatile profiles were demonstrated to be a powerful analytical strategy for building a model that highlights the potential of a volatile characterization approach for use in evaluating food traceability and authenticity.
The presence of carotenoids in human colostrum has been reported in the literature, and xanthophyll esters in human colostrum were recently detected for the first time. However, no published studies ...have reported whether apocarotenoids, which are metabolites derived from carotenoid enzymatic or nonenzymatic oxidative cleavage, are present in human colostrum. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to search for the possible occurrence of apocarotenoids, including apocarotenoid esters, in human colostrum for the first time by applying an online supercritical fluid extraction–supercritical fluid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methodology. Recent evidence related to apocarotenoid transcriptional activity has suggested that they may have beneficial health properties superior to those of their parent carotenoids. Three different apocarotenoids, namely apo-8′-β-carotenal, apo-8′-lycopenal, and β-citraurin, were identified in intact human colostrum samples, with average concentrations of 85 nmol L
−1
, 54.6 nmol L
−1
, and 75.4 nmol L
−1
, respectively. The overall detection of 16 different free apocarotenoids and 10 different apocarotenoid fatty acid esters in human colostrum was achieved here for the first time. Their occurrence in human colostrum certainly has implications for newborn health status, since colostrum is the only form of food for the newborn during the very first days of life.
Graphical abstract
The growing demand in natural matrices that represent a source of dietary and nutraceutical molecules has led to an increasing interest in
, considered to be a multipurpose, sustainable crop. ...Particularly, the considerable content in essential fatty acids (FAs) makes its derived-products useful food ingredients in the formulation of dietary supplements. In this research, the FA and triacylglycerol (TAG) composition of hempseed oils and flours were investigated using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and flame ionization detection as well as liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS), respectively. Furthermore, a recently introduced linear retention index (LRI) approach in LC was successfully employed as a useful tool for the reliable identification of TAG species. A total of 30 FAs and 62 glycerolipids were positively identified in the investigated samples. Relative quantitative analyses confirmed linoleic acid as the most abundant component (50-55%). A favorable omega6/omega3 ratio was also measured in hemp-derived products, with the α-linolenic acid around 12-14%. Whereas, γ-linolenic acid was found to be higher than 1.70%. These results confirm the great value of
as a source of valuable lipids, and the further improvement of the LRI system paves the way for the automatization of the identification process in LC.
A chemical characterization of the major components, namely, triacylglycerols (TAGs), polyphenols, and tocopherols in a Sacha inchi oil derived from cold pressing of the seed, is hereby reported. To ...tackle such a task, high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with photodiode array (PDA), fluorescence (RF), and mass spectrometry (MS) detection was employed. The latter was interfaced with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and with electrospray ionization for the analysis of TAGs and polyphenols, respectively, whereas RF detection was tested for the determination of tocopherol content. Furthermore, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were evaluated by gas chromatography–flame ionization detector. A 93% amount of total fatty acids was represented by unsaturated FAMEs with the greatest percentage represented by linoleic (L) and linolenic (Ln) accounting for approximately 50 and 36%, respectively. The main TAGs (>10%) were represented by LLnL, LnLnLn, and LnLLn; the latter was present in the oil sample at the highest percentage (22.2%). Among tocopherols, γ-tocopherol was detected to be the most abundant component (over 50%). The polyphenolic composition was also investigated, and a total of 15 compounds were positively identified, through the complementary analytical information coming from PDA and MS data. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report providing a thorough chemical characterization of a Plukenetia volubilis L. oil.
The green microalga
Haematococcus pluvialis
has been widely studied due to its capacity to accumulate great amounts of astaxanthin, a high-value carotenoid with biological activities. In the present ...work, two green compressed fluid–based processes, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and supercritical antisolvent fractionation (SAF), are integrated to obtain an astaxanthin-enriched extract from this microalga. PLE was carried out using pressurized ethanol as solvent, for 20 min, at 10 MPa, and 50 °C as extraction temperature. Subsequently, the obtained extract was processed by SAF to further purify the carotenoid fraction. The SAF process was optimized using a 3-level factorial experimental design and considering three experimental variables: (i) CO
2
pressure (10–30 MPa), (ii) percentage of water in the PLE extract (20–50%), and (iii) PLE extract/supercritical-CO
2
flow rate ratio (0.0125–0.05). Total carotenoid content was evaluated in both extracts and raffinates. Best results were obtained at 30 MPa, 0.05 feed/SC-CO
2
mass flow rate, and 20% (v/v) of water in the feed solution, achieving values of 120.3 mg g
−1
carotenoids in extract (in the SAF extract fraction), which were significantly higher than those obtained in the original PLE extract. In parallel, a new fast two-dimensional comprehensive liquid chromatography (LC×LC) method was optimized to get the full carotenoid profile of these extracts in less than 25 min. This is the first time that the use of a C30 column is reported in an on-line LC×LC system.
Graphical abstract
A microwave distillation method was optimized for the extraction and isolation of cannabis essential oil from fresh and dried hemp inflorescences. The developed method enabled us to obtain a ...distilled product rich in terpenes and terpenoid compounds, responsible of the typical and unique smell of the cannabis plant. The distillate from different hemp cultivars, including Kompolti, Futura 75, Carmagnola, Felina 32 and Finola were characterized by using a gas chromatograph equipped with both mass spectrometer and flame ionization detectors. In a single chromatographic run, the identity and absolute amounts of distilled compounds were determined. Peak assignment was established using a reliable approach based on the usage of two identification parameters, named reverse match, and linear retention index filter. Absolute quantification (mg g
) of the analytes was performed using an internal standard method applying the flame ionization detector (FID) response factors according to each chemical family. An enantio-GC-MS method was also developed in order to evaluate the enantiomeric distribution of chiral compounds, an analytical approach commonly utilized for establishing the authenticity of suspicious samples.
► The paper reports a review of the commercially available ionic liquid stationary phases in GC. ► Different ionic liquid GC stationary phases are discussed. ► Applications in conventional and ...multidimensional GC are reported. ► Uses of ionic liquid GC stationary phases in GC–MS are reported.
In the past decades a consistent number of ionic liquids have been specifically synthesized and evaluated as stationary phase in gas chromatography. Ionic liquid, also defined as “molten salts”, are a class of organic non-molecular solvents liquid at room temperature (RTILs) that satisfy most of the requirements of a GC stationary phase, among which a high viscosity, the possibility to tune the selectivity (by changing the cation–anion combination) and a high thermal stability. The choice of the proper stationary phase plays a key role in the improvement/optimization of a GC method, and although the use of IL as stationary phases is still not well-established, the general interest in their applications has greatly increased, thanks to their particular properties. The present contribution provides an overview on recent evaluations and applications of IL stationary phases, focusing in particular on the use of these novel tools in hyphenated GC-based techniques.