Abstract
Methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry were developed for the rapid identification of lignans in flaxseed. The lignans were extracted from dried flaxseed extract power by ultrasonic extraction. The fragment ions were further investigated for structural elucidation and the MS/MS spectra provided an abundance of structural information for the identification. A total of eleven lignans were investigated and three were new compounds. This research demonstrates the rapid characterization of bioactive constituents in plant extracts while avoiding tedious and difficult separation and purification steps.