Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric investigation of pollen and their classification by multivariate statistics

Abstract

These results demonstrate the potential and the reliability of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification and, in combination with multivariate statistics, also for the classification of pollen.

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry of pollen grains and their mixtures

“…This spectrum is characterized by a broad peak in the m/z 6700–7900 that was used for the imaging experiment, and a few less intense peaks (around m/z 4350, 5200 and 5600) that were not considered. As shown in a previous paper this broad peak could be found only in different poplar species, and therefore can be regarded as a characteristic poplar mass . According to the method described in the experimental section, these grains were randomly distributed on a region of 6 × 6 mm of the ITO glass slide by using a small spatula, fixed with resin, treated with formic acid vapor and, finally, covered by matrix.…”

“…Many of these results were obtained after harsh sample treatment causing damage of the sporopollenin cage, accompanied by a possible modification of chemical components. A new, gentler sample preparation method followed by MALDI‐TOF mass spectral analysis was recently presented by our group . The presented approach requires only minor chemical treatment of pollen prior to analysis, and could be carried out directly on the MALDI target plate.…”

“…BIOTYPER, Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany or SERAMIS, bioMérieux, Craponne, France) . Although suitable pollen MS databases are not yet available, the imaging experiments were performed with intact pollen grains and data evaluation was carried out using those characteristic (but still widely unknown) peaks that were used for HCA as well …”

Simplifying the Preparation of Pollen Grains for MALDI-TOF MS Classification

“…The increased sensitivity could be especially important for the detection of single pollen grains in future applications. As shown in a previous investigation based on the MTP approach, MALDI MS is capable of detecting a few, down to ~3 pollen grains at best [7]. …”

“…[1,2,3], microorganisms [4,5,6], or biological particles (e.g., pollen grains) [7]. For this purpose, various sample preparation procedures have been modified, which involved grinding of organisms [8], suspension/extraction methods [3,6] or the dissection of organs [2].…”