Validation of a UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for anthocyanidin quantification in potato tubers

The development of bioanalytical methods has become challenging due to sample complexity, requirements for method reliability, and speed of analysis with triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS used widely for the routine analysis of biological materials. The article presents the method development and validation results for pelargonidin and malvidin in potato tubers. The developed method uses a short C18 column, is able to measure all six common anthocyanidins, uses a binary mobile phase with acetonitrile and water both with added 1% formic acid, ESI ionisation in positive mode, 3-h hydrolysis with 2.7 M methanolic HCl at 90°C. For pelargonidin and malvidin, the method shows high recovery of 98-100%, intra-day repeatability of 6.7-17.9% (depending on the analyte and concentration level), uncertainty below 20%, and uses quadratic calibration.