Name: Sebastian Hickert
Diploma / M.Sc degree: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany
(August 2013)

PhD Project: Two-dimensional and one-dimensional analysis of toxic mold metabolites in plant material

Abstract of Research Project

There are many established methods for the analysis of toxic fungal metabolites (mycotoxins) in food matrices. These methods usually work with sample extracts. Due to the extraction process, information about the spatial distribution of the toxins in the sample is lost. To get an insight into the functions of certain mycotoxins during the infection of the host organism, the distribution of the toxins in the sample material is of great interest. There are theories assuming that molds use mycotoxins to weaken their host plants and thus to infect them more easily. If this is true, the mycotoxins should be found in the growing regions of the fungal mycelium. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-Imaging) is a useful tool to determine the location of mycotoxins in plant material. This technique will be applied in order to understand the infection mechanisms of the toxin producing molds. Another point of interest is the development of fast, sensitive LC-MS/MS methods for the analysis of some little analyzed mycotoxins in food matrices.