A new ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography method for the determination of total isoflavone aglycones after enzymatic hydrolysis: Application to analyze isoflavone levels in soybean cultivars

Since only isoflavone aglycones are considered to be bioactive, the determination of total aglycones that are released from conjugated isoflavones after hydrolytic treatment may facilitate an objective alternative for quantifying isoflavone contents in soy products. Given this major benefit, a new ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UV-UPLC™) method was developed for the fast and reliable determination of total aglycones in soybeans (daidzein, glycitein, and genistein) after enzymatic hydrolysis applying helix pomatia digestive juice. Capitalizing on the enhanced performance of UPLC™, aglycones were separated within 3min only, with a total runtime of 8min till the next injection. Thus, especially compared to HPLC protocols, UPLC™ proved to be superior due to significantly shorter runtimes and accordingly increasing sample throughput. Additionally, regarding the performed validation (linearity, precision, recovery, selectivity, and robustness), the established method proved to be suitable for quantifying total aglycones in soybeans. Moreover, method applicability was demonstrated by analyzing 23 commercial soybean cultivars for their isoflavone contents. Cumulative aglycone levels ranged from 100 to 255mg per 100g, hence implying an average ratio of 52%, 41%, and 7% of total isoflavones for genistein, daidzein and glycitein, respectively. However, for some soybeans, other distinct aglycone distributions were observed as well.