The importance of dietary sulforaphane in helping maintain good health continues to gain support within the health-care community and awareness among U.S. consumers. In addition to the traditional avenue for obtaining sulforaphane, namely, the consumption of appropriate cruciferous vegetables, other consumer products containing added glucoraphanin, the natural precursor to sulforaphane, are now appearing in the United States. Crucifer seeds are a likely source for obtaining glucoraphanin, owing to a higher concentration of glucoraphanin and the relative ease of processing seeds as compared to vegetative parts. Seeds of several commonly consumed crucifers were analyzed not only for glucoraphanin but also for components that might have negative health implications, such as certain indole-containing glucosinolates and erucic acid-containing lipids. Glucoraphanin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, other glucosinolates, and lipid erucic acid were quantified in seeds of 33 commercially available cultivars of broccoli, 4 cultivars each of kohlrabi, radish, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage, and 2 cultivars of raab.

The analysis of Stevia leaves has been demonstrated without any sample preparation using desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry. Direct rapid analysis was achieved using minimal amounts of sample ( approximately 0.15 cm x 0.15 cm leaf fragment). Characteristic constituents of the Stevia plant are observed in both the positive and negative ion modes including a series of diterpene 'sweet' glycosides. The presence of the glycosides was confirmed via tandem mass spectrometry analysis using collision-induced dissociation and further supported by exact mass measurements using an LTQ-Orbitrap. The analysis of both untreated and hexane-extracted dry leaves proved that DESI can be successfully used to analyze untreated leaf fragments as identical profiles were obtained from both types of samples. Characterization and semi-quantitative determination of the glycosides was achieved based on the glycoside profile within the full mass spectrum. In addition, the presence of characteristic glycosides in an all-natural commercial Stevia dietary supplement was confirmed. This study provides an example of the application of DESI to direct screening of plant materials, in this case diterpene glycosides.

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Fatty acid carboxylates desorbed into the gas phase by fast atom bombardment (FAB) undergo both metastableion and collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) to eliminate water. Upon CAD, the water elimination competes with charge-remote fragmentation. Deuterium labeling results are in accord with the elimination occurring via an ion-neutral complex involving hydroxide ion and neutral ketene. Evidence that the precursor of the ion-neutral complex is the enol form of the carboxylate was obtained by forming the enolate directly by decarboxylation of appropriate dicarboxylic acids. The [ M -H -CO, 1ions of these species undergo a more facile elimination of water than do carboxylates desorbed directly upon FAB.

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