N-acetylglutamate and N-acetylaspartate in soybeans (Glycine max L.), maize (Zea mays L.), [corrected] and other foodstuffs.

N-Acetylglutamate (NAG) and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) are amino acid derivatives with reported activities in a number of biological processes. However, there is no published information on the presence of either substance in foodstuffs. We developed a method for extracting and quantifying NAG and NAA from soybean seeds and maize grain using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS).