LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS detection of food flavonoids: principle, methodology, and applications

Abstract

Flavonoids have been attracting increasing research interest because of their multiple health promoting effects. However, many flavonoids with similar structures are present in foods, often at low concentrations, which increases the difficulty of their separation and identification. Liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) has become one of the most widely used techniques for flavonoid detection. LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS can achieve highly efficient separation by LC; it also provides structural information regarding flavonoids by Q-TOF-MS/MS. This review presents a comprehensive summary of the scientific principles and detailed methodologies (e.g., qualitative determination, quantitative determination, and data processing) of LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS specifically for food flavonoids. It also discusses the recent applications of LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS in determination of flavonoid types and contents in agricultural products, changes in their structures and contents during food processing, and metabolism in vivo after consumption. Moreover, it proposes necessary technological improvements and potential applications. This review would facilitate the scientific understanding of theory and technique of LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS for flavonoid detection, and promote its applications in food and health industry.

Keywords:

• LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
• flavonoid
• detection
• principle
• methodology
• application

Author contributions

Yang, Li, and Zhao sorted all references and compiled data. Yang drafted the manuscript together. Zheng, Fang, and Xiao further analyzed and interpreted the results and revised the manuscript. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32072181, 31871790, and 31901681), Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (2018B020205002), Open Project Program of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, and NESTLE R&D Ltd. (China). We would also acknowledge the support of Elite Youth Program from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Jinkai Zheng).