ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the utilization of ofine and online thinlayer chromatography/mass spectrometry (TLC-MS) approaches in the eld of carotenoid, triterpenoid, and avanol analysis. These compounds display many benecial effects on human health and are found in plants and bacteria, as well as animals. Apart from the analytes of interest, these raw material extracts and multi-ingredient dietary supplements contain several interfering compounds, to which special attention should be given. TLC is a complementary analytical technique to other common separation techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and others. In contrast to the latter, TLC allows for a larger degree of analytical freedom because in addition to the substantial variety of stationary phases, the choice of developing solvents seems limitless. This often enables the separation of compounds that cannot be resolved by HPLC or GC [1]. Coupling TLC with MS strengthens the analysis with an additional dimension, which enables higher specicity, sensitivity, and more detailed analyte information. The hyphenation can be achieved by an ofine or online approach,
17.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................305 17.2 Ofine versus Online TLC-MS ...................................................................306 17.3 TLC-MS Analysis of Carotenoids ............................................................... 310 17.4 TLC-MS Analysis of Triterpenoids ............................................................. 314 17.5 TLC-MS Analysis of Flavanols ................................................................... 317 17.6 Challenges for the Future ............................................................................. 321 References .............................................................................................................. 323
respectively. The advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, relevant to the analyses of carotenoids, triterpenoids, and avanols, will be described.
