Generic Characterization of Apolar Metabolites in Red Chili Peppers (Capsicum frutescens L.) by Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry.

The
aim of the present study was to develop a generic analytical
method for the identification and quantitation of apolar plant metabolites
in biomass using liquid chromatography–photodiode array–accurate
mass mass spectrometry (LC-PDA-amMS). During this study, a single
generic sample preparation protocol was applied to extract apolar
plant metabolites. Compound identification was performed using a single
generic screening method for apolar compounds without the need for
dedicated fractionation. Such a generic approach renders vast amounts
of information and is virtually limited by only the solubility and
detector response of the metabolites of interest. Method validation
confirmed that this approach is applicable for quantitative purposes.
Furthermore, an identification–quantitation strategy based
on amMS and molar extinction coefficients was used for carotenoids,
eliminating the need for reference standards for each carotenoid.
To challenge the validated method, chili peppers (Capsicum
frutescens L.) were analyzed to unravel their complex
phytochemical composition (carotenoids, glycolipids, glycerolipids,
capsaicinoids, lipid-soluble vitamins).