Current research projects

Mass spectrometric characterization of food-related proteins and their derivatives using HPTLC-MS

Proteins, lipids and carbohydrates include important components of our nutrition. Due to their wide range of functionality and reactivity, they form a significant focus of research in food and nutritional science.
In this work, a new form of methodology will be developed, combining traditional mass spectrometry based protein analysis with thin-layer chromatography. The first step is an optimized separation of proteins and protein species by means of the multidimensional high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The identification and characterization of proteins and protein species will be carried out by mass spectrometry, which requires the establishment of innovative coupling techniques such as HPTLC-MALDI, HPTLC-ESI, or HPTLC-LESA-ESI-MS.
The implementation and development of these methods are initially based on purified proteins as well as complex protein-mixtures relevant in foods. In the further course the developed procedures will be extended to food- and feed-related questions.

IspD from Plasmodium falciparum: The non-mevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis as target for malaria drugs

Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent for Malaria tropica, which is, according to the WHO, responsible for estimated 750’000 annual deaths. Malaria tropica plays a role mainly in poor African, South American and South-East Asian countries. It is, after smoking, the second most important preventable cause of death worldwide, since Malaria can be treated in principle. Yet with the spreading of resistance against all known classes of anti-malarials, there is an urgent need for new drugs, preferably directed against new targets. The enzyme IspD, part of the non-mevalonate biosynthetic route to isoprenoids, is such a target. It is essential in P. falciparum and many other pathogens but absent in humans. As a first step, enzymatic High-Throughput Screens will be performed to identify lead structures that will then be further characterized towards their kinetic properties. For that purpose, our facility is equipped with state of the art robotics, dispensers and plate reader photometers. Further, promising compounds will be analyzed in red blood cell assays to directly monitor the effect on the pathogen.

fon 040/42838 6140
Room 641

Selection of aptamers for the detection of microorganisms with food-pertinence

The spore-forming Alicyclobacillus is able to create a smoky or disinfectant-like smelling off-flavor (e.g. guaiacol) in various foods, such as apple or orange juice, due to their metabolism after the germination of the spores. As all current methods, used in the fruit juice industrie, require a time consuming step of enrichment by cultivation the possibility of a rapid detection of Alicyclobacillus spores is not given up to the present day. The aim of this work is the development of an aptamer-based bioaffinity enrichment system with modified nanoparticles for the food matrices orange and apple juice, in which the quality and quantity of spores is determined by use of biomolecular methods. The applied spores-specific aptamers (single-stranded DNA, ssDNA) are serving as receptor molecules and replace the time-consuming microbiological enrichment of Alicyclobacillus spores. The ssDNA aptamers are generated by using a special in vitro selection method (SELEX-process: Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) with regard to selectivity and specificity. Subsequently, various biomolecular methods of analysis are being applied, such as the real-time PCR or LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) to develop a qualitative and quantitative method of determination of these spores. After a successful validation, these biomolecular methods allow a reliable analysis of potential orange and apple juice contamination.

fon +49 40 42838 4349
Room 645

Room extern

Room extern

The Reactivity of Secondary Plant Metabolites in Selected Legumes

Within the scope of the research project "LeguAN" (innovative and holistic value-added concepts for functional food- and feeding stuffs of domestic grain legumes from cultivation up to their utilization") funded by BMELV/BLE, it is intended to identify and characterize secondary plant metabolites and proteins in selected grain legume species in order to assess possible needs and health benefits but also their interactions with each other. In cooperation with the Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ, Großbeeren) the flavonoid as well as the saponin profile of the legumes will be characterized using liquid chromatographic (HPLC-DAD, HPLC-ELSD) and mass spectrometric (HPLC-MSn) techniques. Furthermore, the raw material as well as intermediary products deriving during processing will be analyzed regarding concentration and stability of those compounds. Moreover, protein fractions generated by appropriate extraction procedures are investigated with regard to their IgE-binding capacity using conventional techniques, for instance SDS-PAGE, Western Blotting and ELISA. In addition, possible breakdown or reaction products resulting from or between the secondary plant metabolites and the proteins are inquired whereby structure-reactivity relationships shall be evaluated by innovative mass spectrometric approaches.

fon 040/42838-5340

This BMELV/ BLE funded project has the aim to develop a high quality fish feed based on yeast and algae to reduce the demand for fish meal and oil, which are currently the main components of many fish feed. Due of the fact that the global fishmeal and fish oil reserves decrease and the rising price of these, there is a particular interest in the feed industry to develop efficient alternatives. These innovative feed ought to enable the production of high nutritional quality and healthy fish, especially in order to create a durable, sustainable aquaculture.  The raw material (microalgae, green algae, yeast) have an interesting nutritional composition, which has not been completely characterized and synergistic effects between the components have not been described yet. By using analytical as well as spectroscopic methods (GC-MS, HPLC-ESI-MS, preparative chromatographic procedures, ESR, and NMR), the focus is on the characterization of the fatty acids, the secondary metabolites (green algae) as well as on the antioxidant activity. The components have to face different conditions during the cultivation, production and storage, therefore the product optimizing extent over all steps of the animal feeding production. That’s why the focus is also on the identification of process markers.

fon +49 40 42838 7821

A lipidomic approach to the identification and quantification of lipid-biomarkers to diabetes and the metabolic syndrom via mass-spectrometry

Despite of the high prevalence of diabetes and the metabolic syndrom along with the resulting socialeconomic consequences the current diagnostic tools can only indicate a prevalent diabetes. A fast and validated method for an early diagnosis, especially for diabetes type II, would therefore be of great interest. The research is based on the identification of lipid-biomarkers to diabetes and the metabolic syndrom, which allow a mass-spectrometric based diagnosis and early-diagnosis from minimally invasive samples like blood or urine and lead to a better understanding of metabolic changes during the pathogenesis of diabetes. Methodically the work is accomplished comparing Lipid-patterns of diseased and healthy individuals. The data is aquired using a high resolution UPLC-QToF-MS-System. Metabolites found to change in concentration during the pathogenesis of diabetes and the metabolic syndrom are implemented in a HPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS-Method for absolute quantification to use for further screening and potential clinical application.

fon +49 40 42838 4352
Room 653