Development of LC-MS/MS analysis of cyclic dipeptides and its application to tea extract

2,5-Diketopiperazines (DKPs), also called cyclic dipeptides, have been known to occur in various foods. Recently, DKPs have attracted attentions as bioactive components. There were some reports on analytical methods for DKPs, but the number of analyzed DKPs was only a part of all DKPs and the quantitative performance was not studied in detail. In this study, we selected 31 kinds of DKPs and developed a quantitative and simultaneous analytical method using LC-MS/MS. This method was applied to DKPs determination in Pu-erh tea, post-fermentation tea, and 18 kinds of DKPs were determined at concentration of 0.0017-0.11 ppm. As a result of spiked test, it was concluded that the developed method using LC-MS/MS was useful for estimating DKPs concentration in tea.

2,5-diketopiperazines; DKPs; LC-MS/MS; Pu-erh tea; cyclic dipeptide.