The presence of Fusarium Graminearum in barley can significantly influence the quality of malt produced for the beer industry. The American Society of Brewing Chemists has standard methods for the determination of the toxin deoxynivalenol, a metabolite of Fusarium, but does not provide direct methods to determine the extent of fungal contamination. The production of metabolites in fungi such as F. Graminearum do not occur under all conditions. In addition, the standard methods are laboratory-based procedures that require extensive time and resources to complete. Therefore, it was theorized that a portable GCMS could be potentially used to ascertain the presence of F. Graminearium in-situ. In order to determine the levels of the fungus in a sample of barley, a headspace solid phase microextraction method was performed with a portable GCMS instrument. The newly developed method was then validated through the comparison of results to an existing method. The existing method was based on the quantification of ergosterol, a major component of the cell wall in F. Graminearum. The ergosterol was removed from a sample of barley with a pentane extraction followed by a derivatization. The ergosterol samples were then analyzed by GCMS. The data collected from the developed method indicated the presence of several key peaks (1-pentanol, ethyl acetate, 2-pentanone, and 2-hexanone) that could be utilized to determine the level of infection in a sample of barley. Furthermore, the method validation ensured the validity of the in-situ method. Specific results and explanations will be presented.

Headspace solid phase microextraction GCMS as a potential in situ method for the early detection of Fusarium head blight in barley

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.