Evaluation of glycoalkaloids and their aglycones in vegetable-based baby foods using a validated mesostructured silica-based MSPD protocol assisted by bead homogenization and UHPLC-MS/MS

Glycoalkaloids (GAs) are a food safety concern in Solanaceae-derived products, but their occurrence in baby foods remains poorly documented. This study presents a sensitive, sustainable methodology for simultaneous determination of GAs and their aglycones in vegetable-based baby foods containing potato, eggplant, or tomato. Comparative evaluation of miniaturized ultrasound assisted (UA-MSPD), vortex assisted (VA-MSPD), and homogenizer assisted (HA-MSPD) matrix solid phase dispersion identified HA-MSPD as the most efficient strategy. Performance was improved using mesostructured silica MSU-2. Box-Behnken design optimized a rapid 30 s protocol with 5 mg sorbent, 125 mg sample, and 1 mL acidified methanol for simultaneous extraction and clean-up. The method exhibited excellent greenness (AGREEprep: 0.68) and reliable quantification of six GAs and two aglycones. Application to 23 commercial samples revealed total GAs up to 18 mg/kg, highlighting variability linked to raw material quality and underscoring the need for systematic monitoring of Solanaceae ingredients in infant foods.