title: Mass spectral analyses of corn stover prehydrolysates to assess conditioning processes.
abstract: Flow injection electrospray (FIE) and LC-tandem mass spectrometry techniques were used to characterize corn stover acid hydrolysates before and after overliming and ammonia conditioning steps. Analyses were performed on samples without fractionation (dilution only) in an effort provide an inventory of ionizable substances. Statistical evaluation of the results indicates that the ammonia-treated and crude hydrolysates were more similar to one another than any other pairing, with conditioning leading to a decrease in malate levels. LC-tandem mass spectrometry studies were also developed to characterize the oligosaccharides present in each hydrolysate utilizing a hydrophilic interaction chromatographic separation method. Neutral and acidic pentose-based oligosaccharides (xylodextrins) with degrees of polymerization between 2 and 5 were quantified with 4-O-methyl glucuronic acid-containing dimer and trimers predominating. Conditioning had little effect on the quantified oligosaccharide pool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0910, United States. helmrf@vt.edu
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Helm
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jervis
authors.forename: W Keith
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Willoughby
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Irvin
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hastie
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schell
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagle
mesh_terms: D006868:Hydrolysis; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D010936:Plant Extracts