Feasibility of the determination of three flavan-3-ols metabolites in urine samples via parallel factor analysis of fluorescence emission matrices

- A fast, simple and cheap procedure to quantify flavan-3-ols metabolites is proposed.
- The method provides good recoveries (85-93%) and LOD (39-53 μg/L).
- Method is a powerful tool for screening the abundance of flavonoid in food.
- Three metabolites have been proposed as biomarkers of flavonoid absorption.
- Feasibility of the determination of three metabolites via PARAFAC is demonstrated.

Flavan-3-ols are the most abundant flavonoids in diet and the analysis and quantification of flavan-3-ol metabolites could report valuable information to assess their absorption mechanisms and bioavailability. In our research, we have studied the feasibility of the determination of three flavan-3-ols metabolites (3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and syringic acid) in urine samples using parallel factor analysis of fluorescence excitation emission matrices. In the optimised conditions, urine samples were directed analysed after diluting in water, centrifuged and filtered. The procedure was successfully applied to quantify the concentration of the selected flavan-3-ols catabolites in urine samples with recoveries ranging between 85 and 93%. For instance, multivariate analytical figures of merit show low sensitivity and selectivity and LOD between 39 μg/L and 53 μg/L. The proposed procedure is fast, simple, reliable and cheap method to quantify flavan-3-ols metabolites in urine and constitutes a powerful tool for screening their abundance in different food matrices after consumption.