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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Semi-Targeted Ultra-High-Performance Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Phenolic Metabolites in Plasma of Elderly Adults
Published on: April 22, 2022
Direct mass spectrometry approaches to characterize polyphenol composition of complex samples
Hélène Fulcrand1, Carine Mané, Sébastien Preys
1INRA-UMR 1083, 2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier cedex, France.
Direct mass spectrometry (MS) offers a faster alternative to HPLC for analyzing polyphenols in complex samples like wine. However, detecting larger polyphenols and their molecular weight distributions remains challenging.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Food Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is commonly used for polyphenol analysis but faces limitations with complex mixtures and high molecular weight compounds.
- Accurate determination of molecular weight distributions for polyphenols is a significant analytical challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review direct mass spectrometry (MS) approaches for polyphenol analysis.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of MS techniques in overcoming the limitations of traditional methods for complex polyphenol mixtures.
Main Methods:
- Review of direct mass spectrometry (MS) techniques, including flow injection electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (FIESI-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS).
- Analysis of polyphenol fingerprints in wine using FIESI-MS.
- Investigation of higher molecular weight proanthocyanidins using MALDI-MS and MALDI-time-of-flight MS (MALDI-TOF-MS) with bovine serum albumin complexes.
Main Results:
- Direct FIESI-MS enabled polyphenol fingerprinting and sample discrimination based on phenolic composition (anthocyanins, phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols) in wine.
- Larger polyphenol oligomers and polymers were poorly detectable with FIESI-MS and direct MALDI-MS.
- MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of bovine serum albumin/proanthocyanidin complexes allowed determination of the mass distribution of polymeric fractions.
Conclusions:
- Direct MS techniques show promise for rapid polyphenol profiling but struggle with high molecular weight compounds.
- MALDI-TOF-MS, particularly with complexation strategies, offers a viable method for determining molecular weight distributions of polymeric polyphenols.
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