Rapid screening of ascorbic acid, glycoalkaloids, and phenolics in potato using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Evaluation of phenolic metabolism in potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum) would be facilitated by faster analytical methods. A high-throughput HPLC method was developed for the qualitative and quantitative determination in potato of numerous phenolic compounds, the sum of the glycoalkaloids chaconine and solanine, plus ascorbic acid. Following a fast extraction, HPLC run times of 12 min were achieved with the use of a monolithic RP C18 column. UV and MS analyses were used to characterize the phenolic complement in extracts from two white-fleshed varieties. Over 30 compounds were identified, some of which are thought to possess either nutritional value or are involved in plant disease resistance. This method is expected to be useful for germplasm mining and for varietal development programs in which large numbers of lines are generated.