GC-MS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling of sucrose esters from Nicotiana tabacum and N. rustica.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been applied for the first time to the analysis of the sucrose esters from the surface of Nicotiana L. leaves. The profiles obtained for the model plant N. tabacum were similar to those from the gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis. The most reproducible results were obtained using a dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) matrix. The main advantage of this method is that crude plant extracts can be analysed without sample clean-up. GC-MS analysis of Aztec tobacco (N. rustica) extracts revealed the presence of three types of sucrose esters. All identified compounds had three C4-C8 acyl chains substituting the glucose moiety, while the fructose part of the molecule was substituted with 0, 1, or 2 acetyl groups. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the sucrose ester fraction revealed the presence of compounds not eluting from a GC column. Combining the data from both GC-MS and MALDI-TOF MS experiments, we obtained a full sucrose ester profile, which is based on the molecular weight of the compounds and on the number of acyl chains in the molecule.