No abstract

A simple ionic-liquid based extraction method enables recovering of a cutin biopolymer carrying distinct types of modifications (e.g. preservation of esters or cuticular polysaccharides). Authors' contributions: CSP supervised the project and the interpretation of data and prepared the final version of the manuscript. All authors have made substantial contributions to the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data and contributed to the drafting of the manuscript: JP and CR (plant material preparation), CJSM, AB and RE (ionic liquid synthesis, cutin extraction and cryogenic milling), AB, VGC (NMR data analysis); JP, AP, JP and LH (GC-MS analyses); OOM and AB (WAXS analyses), AB and CJSM (DSC analyses); CJSM and AB (preparation of the initial draft of the manuscript). All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

No abstract

No abstract

The composition of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) leaf cuticular waxes was investigated. Chemical composition was determined as the first step in recognizing the importance to insect pest resistance of eggplant leaf surface chemistry. Waxes were extracted by dipping leaves into dichloromethane for 40 s. Relatively large samples were then fractionated by 'flash chromatography' on silica gel. Compounds were identified on the basis of their mass spectra from GC-MS analysis and retention data from GC-FID analysis, and quantified on the basis of peak areas from GC-FID analysis. Straight-chain alkanes and methyl-branched alkanes were the most abundant wax components. Minor quantities of esters of fatty acids with triterpene and aliphatic alcohols, free triterpene and aliphatic alcohols, sterols, and free fatty acids were also present on the eggplant leaf surface. This method is suitable for analysis of complex mixtures of plant cuticular lipids. It is also applicable to separation of samples for biological tests on insects.