High Throughput Mass Spectrometry Platform for Prospecting High Value Chemicals from Bioconversion of Glycerin

Diana Amazonas,Rebeca Vianna,Mônica Damaso,Flávia Vieira,Karen Lima,Andréia Carneiro,Augusto Souto,Thaís Mendes,Patrícia Abdelnur,José Ribeiro,Clenilson Rodrigues

doi:10.21577/0103-5053.20190210

Abstract

The use of bioprocess to convert low valued biomass or agroindustrial byproducts into high-value chemicals is an emerging area. However, laboratories usually use outdated analytical techniques to identify bioproducts, losing valuable information, such as the identification of unexpected compounds. In this work, we presented a successful systematic and modern analytical approach based on direct infusion mass spectrometry (DIMS) for an automated high-throughput screening of untargeted compounds from glycerin bioconversion process. We describe advantages of DIMS and its combined application with chemometrics towards an untargeted metabolomics approach to analyze several samples in a short time (11 samples per h). Three batches with 34 samples from the bioconversion of glycerin using several filamentous fungi strains were analyzed. Batch 347 was selected as promising, since high value chemicals, such as amide, phenolic and acid compounds, were identified. The platform presented was fast, robust, and versatile, then it could be applied to different bioprocesses.

Highlights

Biotechnology is an expanding area worldwide, with a great potential to increase in the years
The chemicals portfolio produced from the bioconversion of glycerin was focused into the targets: organic acids, polyols and diols, that can be used in different industrial sectors, such as cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industry
direct infusion mass spectrometry (DIMS) is a high throughput sensitive and selective technique to the screening of compounds and could be successfully applied to bioprospecting chemicals produced from bioprocess

Summary

Introduction

Biotechnology is an expanding area worldwide, with a great potential to increase in the years. Low sensitive and non-selective analytical techniques, such as high performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA), are used to separate and identify the compounds generated in the bioprocess.[18,19] this analysis is time consuming and restricted to the identification of products according to commercial available standards, losing the identification of several compounds.[19] Direct infusion mass spectrometry (DIMS) is a fast and practical analytical technique, not requiring any prior separation step, and resulting in high-throughput analysis (less than 1 min per sample).

Results

Conclusion