LC-MS as a tool to overcome the limitations of self-reported dietary assessments in the determination of wine intake

Abstract

The nutritional assessment of individuals is usually performed using highly subjective data collecting tools such as food frequency questionnaires, dietary recalls and food records. However, people are not always capable of recalling all foods (and ingredients) consumed, and in some cases, the intake of specific foods is intentionally omitted. Even though wine is considered positive for cardiovascular status, and is an essential part of Mediterranean culture, individuals may not always report its consumption accurately due to the existence of social preconceptions about alcoholic beverages. In this study, the presence of free resveratrol has been determined in human plasma from 25 Spanish volunteers using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This phenolic compound proved to be useful as a dietary biomarker for wine intake in a known population, and the results were compared with those obtained by self-reported dietary assessments. However, certain limitations must also be taken into account such as inter-individual variations and the type of wine consumed. The LC-MS method was validated for trans-resveratrol determination in human plasma, with an LOD (limit of detection) of 50 ng·mL−1 and an LOQ (limit of quantification) of 150 ng·mL−1, respectively.