Characterization of Alfalfa: Determiantion of the

Percentage of Coumestrol Present in Medicago

Sativa using UHPLC-MS/MS Method

Bryan Rena Inlago De la Cruz

December 2019

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 Characterization of Alfalfa: Determination of the Percentage of Coumestrol

Present in Medicago Sativa using UHPLC-MS/MS Method

Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) is a leguminose plant that is in a Fabacean family.

This plant is an legume that has a estimate production of 32 million of hectareas

by year around the world and play a vital role in the agriculture industry like

food for crows(Yi ,Sun, Su, Tong, Zhang and Wang, 2019). Besides, to be a

common food for humans and being present diet daily (Franke, Custer, Cerna

and Narala, 1995) . Medicago Sativa has a considerable percentage of some

special chemical compounds as strogenics, isoflavons and phytoestrogens (Fields,

Barrell, Gash, Zhao and Moot, 2009) .

It is relevant consider that phytoestrogen is one of the most characteristic

compound present in Alfalfa. Being Coumestrol the principal phytoestrogenic

compound in alfalfa and ”its the most potent phytoestrogen of the all know

phytoestrogens” (Moravcová, 2004,p.2) . Besides, this component has a high

stability and it can be present in hay, silage, and pellets (Fields, Barrell, Gash,

Zhao and Moot, 2019, p.1) . The content of this compound in alfalfa herbage is

highly variable, however, the normal range is between 0.01 mg/kg–1 DM to 600

mg/kg–1 DM in diseased foliage (Fields, Barrell, Gash, Zhao and Moot, 2019).

In this context, to determine the concentration of coumestrol in Medicago

Sativa are used physic or chemical methods. One of them, its HPLC-FL method.

Fields, Barrell, Gash, Zhao and Moot, 2019 realized an research to quantify the

quantity of coumestans, using Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography

with flourecence, an chemical characterisation method. As a result of thirty

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evaluation, it was identified a coumestrol average of 138 17,9 mg/ kg -1 in older

alfalfa plants (Fields, Barrell, Gash, Zhao and Moot, 2019).

Another method of the characterization of compounds, it is trough silica gel

chromatography-HPLC. In Phytoestrogenic Compounds in Alfalfa Sprout (Med-

icago sativa) beyond Coumestrol, it was used this method and the results show

that obtain a little coumestrol in the older alfalfa (2011). After, analyzing the

results of experiment, it were determine to exist 2.9 mg/ kg -1 (Hong, 2019). By

other hand, I made this same analysis to evaluate the concentration of coume-

strol in the Alfalfa growing in Imbabura-Ecuador, and the percentage it was less

to 1 mg/ kg -1.

Mencionar la combinacion HPLC-SC/SC.

Describir por que es una area nueva y que puede ayudar a mejorar la cuantifi-

cación del coumestrol en la alfalfa.

Concluir