Comprehensive review on chromatographic analysis of flavonoids in fruits

Flavonoids are natural compounds that are abundant in fruits and have many benefits for human health. Their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects make these compounds important for health. Chromatographic analytical methods are the most commonly used methods for detecting, separating, and quantifying flavonoids in fruit species. Methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are crucial for the analysis of flavonoids. In recent years, hybrid systems combining MS and ultraviolet (UV) detectors have been developed to increase the sensitivity of these techniques. HPLC-MS techniques are one of the most preferred methods for determining flavonoids. Flavonoid profiles between different fruit species have been compared using this technique. Although the GC method is less widely used, it uses derivatization steps to analyze non-volatile flavonoids. The accuracy and sensitivity of GC may be limited compared to other methods. TLC, a simpler and more economical method, is still preferred for separating flavonoids. However, it is less widely used than HPLC due to its limited quantitative analysis capacity. Recently, there have been technological developments in chromatographic methods of analysis. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) offers shorter analysis times and higher resolution, especially for separating complex flavonoid mixtures. In this review, the analysis of flavonoids using chromatographic methods and a detailed discussion of studies in the literature to determine flavonoids in fruits are discussed.