Profiling methods for the determination of phenolic compounds in foods and dietary supplements

Profiling methods are needed that separate and detect all the phenolic compounds in a single extract of a food material. These methods must be comprehensive, rapid, and rich in spectral information. Fourteen methods that meet, or have the potential to meet, these criteria have been selected from the recent literature for review. In general, the methods employ a single aqueous methanol extraction, separation on a reversed-phase C column, and detection by UV/vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The variations in extraction, separation, and detection are discussed. An increasingly important aspect of these methods is the archiving of data to permit cross-comparison of samples and standards and retrospective analysis. This review shows that the necessary technology is available to achieve the desired analytical goals.