Characterization of oligosaccharides from industrial fermentation residues by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, electrospray mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

We report here the preliminary characterization of oligosaccharides present in an enzyme-treated industrial fermentation residue using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-ITMS), and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). After sample cleaning with carbon graphite columns, analysis of oligosaccharides present in the sample using MALDI-TOF-MS resulted in identification of molecular ions representing sodiated hexose and pentose oligo/polysaccharides. The GC-MS analyses revealed that the signals observed in the mass spectrum for hexose oligomers represent linear structures, whereas the pentose oligomers were identified as arabinoxylans with a (1-->4) linked Xylp backbone where the Xylp residues were either not substituted or singly substituted with Araf branching residues at positions C-2 or C-3 of the Xylp ring. Analyses by ESI-ITMS of the signals corresponding to arabinoxylan oligosaccharides with four and five monosaccharide residues showed the presence of isomeric structures differing in degree of branching and localization of the branched residue along the Xylp backbone.