A High-Throughput Extraction and Analysis Method for Steroidal Glycoalkaloids in Tomato

Area of Science:

• Metabolomics and Analytical Chemistry
• Food Science and Nutrition

Background:

• Tomato steroidal glycoalkaloids (tSGAs) are plant metabolites with potential health benefits, but their study is hindered by a lack of quantification methods.
• Existing knowledge on tSGAs is limited by challenges in their extraction and analysis, impacting our understanding of their biological and nutritional roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for quantifying tSGAs.
• To enable accurate measurement of tSGAs in tomato-based products for nutritional and biological assessments.

Main Methods:

• Developed a rapid simultaneous extraction protocol for up to 16 samples, achieving high recovery rates for key tSGAs (tomatidine and alpha-tomatine).
• Implemented a UHPLC-MS/MS technique capable of separating 9 different tSGA masses and 2 internal standards within 13 minutes.
• Utilized high-resolution mass spectrometry and product ion scans for annotating tSGAs lacking available standards.

Main Results:

• The developed extraction method demonstrated efficient recovery rates (93.0 ± 6.8% for tomatidine, 100.8 ± 13.1% for alpha-tomatine).
• The UHPLC-MS/MS method successfully separated multiple tSGA analytes and internal standards.
• Survey of tomato products revealed tSGA concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 3.4 mg/serving, providing novel quantitative data.

Conclusions:

• The validated UHPLC-MS/MS method is sensitive, robust, and suitable for quantifying biologically relevant tSGAs.
• This method overcomes previous analytical limitations, facilitating further investigation into the health implications of tSGAs in tomato consumption.