Comprehensive analysis of cuticular wax components using GCxGC-MS

Introduction

The aerial surfaces of plants are coated with cuticles, which protect cells from water loss, UV radiation, bacterial and fungal pathogens, as well as participate in a variety of plant-insect interactions.(1) Wax of the cuticles is soluble in an organic solvent of low polarity, and it comprises several lipid classes such as hydrocarbons, alcohols, ketones and sterols. Each lipid class generally contains molecular species with differing carbon chain lengths. As cuticular waxes are a complex mixture of such lipid classes, pretreatment (e.g. separation of lipid classes by thin layer chromatography) is needed prior to compositional analysis by GC-MS. Such a process is time-consuming when treating a number of specimens and a more efficient analytical method for qualification of cuticular waxes is desired. This article introduces examples of simultaneous fatty acid and cuticular wax analysis by a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) system. The system is a powerful tool in analyzing complex lipid mixtures prepared from biological materials such as cuticular waxes.

July 5, 2018 GMT