Determination of the Metabolite Content of Brassica juncea Cultivars Using Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography Coupled with a Photodiode Array and Mass Spectrometry Detection

Katia Arena,Laura Dugo,Paola Dugo,Luigi Mondello,Francesco Cacciola

doi:10.3390/molecules25051235

Katia Arena, Laura Dugo + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25051235

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Abstract

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, Brassica 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 Brassica juncea, 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 (2D), respectively. A multi (three-step) segmented-in-fraction gradient for the 2D 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 B. juncea ISCI Top (639), followed by B. juncea “Broad-leaf” (502). Regarding quantification, B. juncea cv. “Broad-leaf” presented the highest flavonoid content (1962.61 mg/kg) followed by B. juncea cv. ISCI Top (1002.03 mg/kg) and B. juncea cv. ISCI 99 (211.37 mg/kg).

Highlights

Vegetables from the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family represent the most commonly consumed vegetables worldwide
reversed phase (RP)-LC×RP-LC separations have proved to be quite effective for the analysis of the metabolite content of food and natural products [19,20,21,22,25,30,31,32]
The benefits associated with the use of a multi segmented-in-fraction gradient in the RP-LC×RP-LC-photodiode array (PDA)-MS analysis of three Brassica juncea cultivars are demonstrated

Summary

Introduction

Vegetables from the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family represent the most commonly consumed vegetables worldwide This family includes brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and others. Molecules 2020, 25, 1235 ability of Brassica vegetables to decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancer, e.g., such as in the gastrointestinal tract [5] All these effects have been associated with the presence of bioactive molecules with antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties, with potential effects on gene expression, cell signaling, and cell adhesion [6]. The most common subclass of polyphenols is represented by flavanols, and the most abundant aglycones are quercetin and kaempferol, which often occur as a complex conjugated via glycosilation and acylation of the aglycone [7] These compounds occur in acylated forms with hydroxycinnamic acids; among them, the most abundant are p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acids. These complex compositions are influenced by many factors, e.g., cultivar, climate, postharvest treatments, and agricultural and environmental variables [8,9,10,11]

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