HPLC-MS Identification of the Most Abundant Flavonoid Glycosides in the Pods of Abelmoschus esculentus – Comments on the Published Data

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L) Moench) is a common vegetable cultivated in warm climate regions. It is also a valuable medicinal plant whose potential health benefits are related to the presence of phenolic compounds, e.g. flavonoids. However, the published results concerning the most abundant flavonoids present in okra fruits are often inconsistent or disput- able. Therefore, we have decided to perform the HPLC-MS analysis of okra fruit extract in order to identify the most abundant flavonoid glycosides. The structures of the flavonoid glycosides have been mainly elucidated on the basis of m/z values and rel- ative abundances of [M+/-H] +/- precursor ions and Y 0/1 +/- , [Y 0 -H] −• product ions. We have identified five compounds, quercetin 3-O-glucoside and its four conjugates, which is consistent with part of the literature data, as discussed in details.