Fast analysis of polyphenols in royal jelly products using automated TurboFlow™-liquid chromatography-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry

This study describes the development of a novel, simple and fast analytical method for the detection and quantification of polyphenols in royal jelly products, using an in-house database containing more than 50 compounds. The extraction method consisted of sample dilution, followed by a fast on-line system composed of turbulent flow chromatography (TurboFlow™) coupled to liquid chromatography (LC)-Exactive-Orbitrap analyzer. The total run time was 18 min, including automated extraction, analytical chromatography and re-equilibration. The method was validated obtaining limits of quantification (LOQ) ranging from 10 to 150 μg/kg. The linearity range was up to 2000 μg/L and determination coefficients (R2) were higher than 0.994. Adequate recoveries were obtained at three concentration levels (500, 1000 and 2000 μg/kg). This method was applied to the analysis of nine samples and the concentration of polyphenols ranged from 14 (apigenin) to 18,936 μg/kg (ferulic acid).