New technology identifies nutritious compounds in crops “in seconds”

14 Apr 2023 --- A newly developed technique analyzes anthocyanins content in plants more quickly than conventional methods, according to a group of Japan-based researchers. The simple-to-use analytical process uses an electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (PESI/MS/MS), which can support plant quality assessment and breeding.

The technology consists of sticking a probe needle into a sample. The compounds that adhere to the probe’s tip are then ionized with high-voltage electricity and analyzed by the PESI/MS/MS.  

In three minutes, the researchers detected 81 types of anthocyanins in 16 kinds of fruit and vegetables. These color pigments have strong antioxidant properties and can be found in various berries, red cabbage, purple sweet potatoes and radishes. 

With the new technique, compound analysis and quality evaluation of crops and foods can be performed much more simply and quickly than conventional technology, lead author Dr. Katsuhiro Shiratake, associate professor of Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan, tells NutritionInsight. 

“Conventional analysis of the compounds of crops and foods required laborious and time-consuming work. However, using this analysis technology, PESI/MS/MS, the time and labor required for sample preparation and analysis can be omitted, enabling analysis in seconds or minutes.” 

Moreover, the tool could analyze other plant metabolites, which contribute to the quality of crops and their processed products, including their taste, aroma, color and functionality, he adds. 

Analyzing compounds more quickly  
The study, published in Horticulture Research, highlights that PESI/MS/MS does not require pre-treatment and separation of samples, making it suitable for high-throughput analysis. 

Anthocyanins have strong antioxidant properties and can be found in various berries and red and purple vegetables. The tool characterized the profile of anthocyanins and compared their content among cultivars. Moreover, it detected the compound at a micro-scale, such as achenes, the tiny dots found on the skin of strawberries. 

Shiratake explains that mass spectrometry (MS) technology is limited in the agricultural industry.

“MS can analyze compounds contained in crops and foods with high accuracy,” Shiratake elaborates. “However, MS requires high skill for equipment maintenance and analysis techniques.” 

“PESI/MS/MS does not require such high skill for equipment maintenance or analysis techniques and anyone can easily and quickly analyze compounds contained in crops and foods,” explains Shiratake.

“By automating equipment operation and automatically analyzing results and displaying them in an easy-to-understand manner, analysis results can be obtained with less human intervention.” 

As the probes used in the technology are portable, they could also be improved to simultaneously assess crop characteristics of remotely located fields. 

Commercialization and next steps 
The authors note that the new technology could be a powerful tool for quality assessment and breed selection in horticultural science to help detect indicators of physiological responses in cultivation. 

“In this presented study, we demonstrated the analysis of anthocyanins. This analysis technology, PESI/MS/MS, can be applied to analyze compounds involved in the taste and functionality of crops and foods, such as sugars, organic acids, amino acids and various secondary metabolites,” explains Shiratake.  

As PESI/MS/MS does not require pre-treatment and separation of samples, it is suitable for high-throughput analysis (image credit: Issei Takahashi). Shiratake highlights that it will be necessary to develop analytical methods to do so accurately. “We are already working on its development and would like to introduce those technologies in the near future.”

For example, the research team hopes to incorporate another platform for animal research developed by Dr. Kei Zatsu to combine PESI/MS/MS with bioinformatics. This platform would accelerate the analysis of compounds and metabolites important in crops and foods by analyzing these compounds quickly with multivariate analysis and multiple comparisons. 

Food fortification  
The use of food fortification with different compounds is increasing to address growing food and nutrition insecurity. For example, DSM pledged to reach 800 million people with improved nutrition and fortified staples. 

Using hibiscus extract, researchers developed a muffin recipe with health benefits as it contained high levels of anthocyanin, antioxidants, phenolic and ascorbic acid.

The authors note that anthocyanin is used in food supplements for its antioxidant properties and associated health benefits. 

Iprona developed a blackcurrant extract with a guaranteed level of 11% anthocyanins. “There is growing evidence suggesting anthocyanins from the fruit improve the microcirculation in blood vessels and that this effect might lead to the improved cognitive performance seen in clinical trials,” Stephan Breitenberger, Iprona’s CEO, previously told NutritionInsight.

Symrise offers a range of healthy active ingredients from aronia berries – also known as black chokeberries – that are standardized in anthocyanins and polyphenols for cellular antioxidant effects.

By Jolanda van Hal