An innovative variant of secondary ion mass spectrometry, SIMS, allows to detective determine quantitatively surface modification/coverage. We present its application to the cuticle surface of the tomato and modifications thereof. The novel SIMS technique differs from conventional SIMS by the use of a massive energetic projectile, specifically, Au4004+ at 520keV and an event-by-event bombardment/detection regime. As a result, co-localization of molecular species is feasible within 10-15 nm and up to 10 nm in depth. �Nano-projectile-SIMS� was applied to study the etching effect of oxygen plasma on the tomato surface. The natural epicuticular wax layer was reduced or even removed with a time dependent oxygen plasma treatment. Further, the degree of coated polymer films on the tomato fruit was quantitatively analyzed. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polyvinylpyrrolidone films were physisorbed to prevent the bacterial adhesion on the tomato surfaces. We measured the degree of surface coating and could relate it to the degree of the bacterial attachment in comparison to that on a bare tomato surface. Our method verified also that the PEG film could be effectively removed by rinsing with water. �Nano-projectile-SIMS� offers a novel approach for the detailed molecular characterization of surface/interface areas of plants.

Surface distribution of chemicals on the tomato skin

247th National Meeting (2014)

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