Development and optimization of innovative analytical methods for the determination of phytoestrogens in soy-food by chromatographic techniques coupled to mass spectrometry

The present PhD thesis deals with the development and optimization of different analytical methods, which combines powerful instrumental techniques and innovative pre-treatment methods to obtain reliable quantitation. Both gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS) were applied for the determination of specific analytes in several matrices. In particular, the main focus was on the quantitation of phytoestrogens in soy-based food matrices. These compounds are interesting because of their endocrine disrupting potential, and their accurate determination is necessary in “non-traditional” foods which are new on the market, especially in Italy. The instrumental analysis of these compounds was optimized by accurate studies of the different parameters involved in GC-MS and LC-MS analyses, in order to obtain maximum sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. Optimization of the sample preparation was another fundamental aspect of the work and was carried out by exploiting the chemometric approach of experimental design. Alongside the main topic of phytoestrogens quantitation in food matrices, an environmental study was performed and dealt with the development of an innovative extraction method for the determination of a class of contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in sea water. A range of preparative and instrumental techniques were studied, compared and applied to environmental and food samples; analytical performances were assessed for all the developed methods and compared with the available literature.