Development of Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Method Based on Solidification of Floating Organic Droplets...

Strigolactones (SLs) are key hormones regulating branching and tillering in rice, impacting plant architecture and yield. A rapid, sensitive, and environmentally friendly method using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on the solidification of floating organic droplets (DLLME-SFO), coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), has been developed for the determination of three SLs (strigol, orobanchol, and 5-deoxystrigol). The DLLME-SFO method integrates one-step low-temperature extraction and enrichment. The DLLME-SFO conditions were optimized through a single-factor experimental design. Under the best-tested conditions, the developed method exhibited excellent linearity, with the coefficient of determination (R²) values greater than 0.9993. The recoveries ranged from 83% to 96%, with precision values ranging from 4.5% to 12.4%. The limits of detection (LODs) varied from 0.6 to 1.2 pg/g fresh weight, indicating the high sensitivity of the method. Additionally, a novel assay protocol for the quantification of SLs in rice in response to nitrogen and phosphorus stress conditions was applied.