Improved characterization of tomato polyphenols using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is the second most important fruit crop worldwide. Tomatoes are a key component in the Mediterranean diet, which is strongly associated with a reduced risk of chronic degenerative diseases. In this work, we use a combination of mass spectrometry (MS) techniques with negative ion detection, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization linear ion trap quadrupole-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) on a triple quadrupole, for the identification of the constituents of tomato samples. First, we tested for the presence of polyphenolic compounds through generic MS/MS experiments such as neutral loss and precursor ion scans on the triple quadrupole system. Confirmation of the compounds previously identified was accomplished by injection into the high-resolution system (LTQ-Orbitrap) using accurate mass measurements in MS, MS(2) and MS(3) modes. In this way, 38 compounds were identified in tomato samples with very good mass accuracy (<2 mDa), three of them, as far as we know, not previously reported in tomato samples.