New liquid chromatography: Mass spectrometry assay for natural phytoestrogens from vegetable extracts

A new liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay for the quantification of seven isoflavones (daidzin, genistin, ononin, daidzein, glycitein, genistein, and formononetin) and coumestrol in vegetable extracts was developed. The separation was performed on a Zorbax SB-C18 column with a mixture of methanol (solvent A) and 0.1% (υ/υ) acetic acid in water (solvent B) under gradient conditions at 50°C with a flow rate of 1 mL min-1. The detection of analytes was performed by electrospray ionization, negative ionisation, in non-reactive MS2 mode for aglycons or in reactive MS2 mode for glycosides. The method shows a good linearity (r2 > 0.9948) over the concentration range of 40–4000 ng mL-1 for all analytes, a good precision (CV < 11%) and accuracy (<10%). The method was successfully applied to quantify the isoflavones and coumestrol in vegetable extracts obtained from red clover (Trifolium pratense L., Fabaceae) and dyer’s greenweed (Genista tinctoria L., Fabaceae) and can be used in the chemical characterization of vegetables with phytoestrogen content.