| Abstract
| - Phytoestrogens are a group of polyphenolic plant metabolites that can induce biological responses. Their bioactivityis based on their similarity to 17β-estradiol and theirability to bind to the β-estrogen receptor. Although epidemiological data are inconclusive, phytoestrogens areconsidered to be beneficial for a variety of conditions, forexample, hormone-related cancers like breast and prostate cancer. To investigate the biological effects of thesecompounds and to assess the exposure of larger cohortsor the general public, reliable data on the phytoestrogencontent of food is necessary. Previously, food analysis forphytoestrogens was performed using either HPLC-UV orGC/MS. Here, we describe the development of the firstgeneric method for the analysis of phytoestrogens in food,using automated solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry. The presentedmethod shows a good reproducibility and can be easilyadapted to other phytoestrogens if required.
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