ARS | Publication request: PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Submitted to: Phytochemical Society of North America Meeting and Newsletter
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: August 13, 2003
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Advances in chromatography separation media, solvent delivery mechanisms, microprocessor driven hardware, computer software, and chemical detectors have combined to usher in a new era of phytochemical analysis. Technological advances have given rise to bench-top gas and liquid chromatography systems-combined with photodiode array, light scattering, and mass spectra detectors-which make the separation, analysis, identification and quantitation of chemical species in extracts prepared from plant and animal tissues fast and accurate. Simple and robust methods developed for these systems have been developed for the identification and quantitation of most secondary metabolites, such as the phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, glucosinolates. However, pitfalls include subtle problems with quantitation and interpretation of the non-light absorbing detectors and the lack of availability of pure phytochemicals for standards and biological evaluation. These general methods will be discussed with a number of examples, especially relating these analytical procedures to biological activity and the development of new functional agricultural products for agricultural pest control and human nutrition.