Development and Validation of a LC-QTOF-MS/MS Method to Assess the Phenolic Profile of Pulse Flours.

Abstract

Functional flours, defined as flours enriched with health-promoting compounds such as phenolics, fibers, or proteins, are gaining attention as wheat-free alternatives due to the nutritional limitations of wheat flour. This study introduces a novel liquid chromatographic time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometric method (LC-QTOF-MS/MS) to characterize the phenolic profiles of functional flours from different origins and evaluate their potential as flour substitutes in food products. The proposed method was validated and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were calculated over the ranges 0.1-1.0 mg/kg. Calculated recoveries were as low as 82.4%. Repeatability and reproducibility were expressed as intra-day (n = 6) and inter-day (n = 4 × 3) measurements and were lower than 8.1 and 10.9%, respectively. Target and suspect screening findings underscore the potential of pulse flours as nutritionally enriched ingredients for functional food development.