Large-Scale Purification of Antifungal Oxylipids via High-Speed Counter Current Chromatography (HSCCC) and Their Identification Using Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS)

Phyto-pathogenic fungi are one of the main concerns threatening agriculture in Canada. Those phyto-pathogens not only affect the yield and the quality of agricultural products, but their metabolite, represented by mycotoxins, will also endanger food safety. In the pursuit of innovative environmental-friendly fungicides, oxylipid is of great research-importance because oxylipid with specific structures can act as an antifungal compound as well as a self-defense signaling molecule at the same time. Some monohydroxy fatty acid, have been proven to be very active in inhibiting foodborne pathogenic fungi in vivo and in vitro; however, their application in plants is limited by the low yield of purified products. Therefore, this project aims to explore a large-scale purification technology, i.e. high-speed counter current chromatography (HSCCC) to
purify the target antifungal oxylipid, and use liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology to identify those products. Large amount of purified antifungal compounds will be generated for further application in plant, and their potential usage as innovative environmentally friendly fungicide will be fully explored.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Gänzle

Student:

Partner:

Zhejiang University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program: