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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #429442
Research Project: Farm to Table Factors: Impact of Production, Processing, and Preparation on Food Composition

Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory

Title: Phytochemical analysis and comparison between controlled environment agriculture and open field growth of spinach (spinacia oleracea l.) using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Author
item LIU, ZHIHAO - Resolian
item Chen, Pei
item Harnly, James
item Zhou, Bin
item LUO, YAGUANG - Former ARS Employee
item LIN, LONGZE - Retired ARS Employee
item Sun, Jianghao

Submitted to: ACS Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/2026
Publication Date: 6/17/2026
Citation: Liu, Z., Chen, P., Harnly, J.M., Zhou, B., Luo, Y., Lin, L., Sun, J. 2026. Phytochemical analysis and comparison between controlled environment agriculture and open field growth of spinach (spinacia oleracea l.) using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. ACS Food Science and Technology. Article 6c00052. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.6c00052.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.6c00052

Interpretive Summary: Spinach is a rich source for phytochemicals. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photo diode array-high resolution tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC-PDA-ESI/HRMS/MSn) analysis led to identify around 90 flavonoids, and 57 other polar compounds in spinach. The contents of the main polyphenols were determined and approximately 50 flavonoids have been reported for the first time in current study. The metabolite profile of spinach showed a distinct separation between cultivated under controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and open field (OF) growing conditions. This comprehensive component profiling and CEA investigation of spinach will aid further studies, breeding programs, and customer preferences, enhancing the overall understanding of spinach's chemical components.

Technical Abstract: An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photo diode array-high resolution tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC-PDA-ESI/HRMS/MSn) analysis led to identify around 90 flavonoids, and 57 other polar compounds in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), one of the most important leafy green vegetables worldwide. The aglycone, basic glycosyl and acyl of each glycoside were deduced by analysis of the diagnostic fragments from multiple fragmentations. A reliable putative assignment was obtained by the comparison of the main fragments, UV maximum absorption, and elution order with those of the reference compounds in the database. The contents of the main polyphenols were determined using rutin as standards and their mole relative response factor to rutin (MRRFR). The metabolite profile of spinach showed a distinct separation between cultivated under controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and open field (OF) growing conditions. The discriminating metabolites were successfully identified based on the results obtained from the previous analysis. The identified discriminating metabolites, including 5,3',4'-trihydroxy-3-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxyflavone 4'-glucuronide (TMG), jaceidin 4'-glucuronide, patuletin 3-pentosyldiglucoside, and spinacetin 3-pentosyldiglucoside, have been highlighted as key components of spinach based on both current study and previous studies. This comprehensive component profiling and CEA investigation of spinach will aid further studies, breeding programs, and customer preferences, enhancing the overall understanding of spinach's chemical components.