Simultaneous quantification of multiple bacterial metabolites using surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Microbiology

Background:

• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are vital for producing commercially important compounds.
• Efficient screening methods are crucial for evaluating new GMO strains during development.
• Detecting structurally similar bacterial metabolites presents analytical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a time-efficient analysis method for screening bacterial strains.
• To enable the simultaneous detection and quantification of two structurally similar secondary metabolites.
• To facilitate the evaluation of newly developed genetically modified E. coli strains.

Main Methods:

• Combined liquid-liquid extraction and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).
• Utilized partial least squares (PLS) data analysis.
• Analyzed four E. coli strains cultured with or without specific precursors (tyrosine and phenylalanine).

Main Results:

• Successfully quantified p-coumaric acid and cinnamic acid.
• Demonstrated simultaneous detection of both analytes.
• Showcased the method's efficacy in screening E. coli strains for metabolite production.

Conclusions:

• The developed method is time-efficient for screening bacterial strains.
• This approach enables the detection of structurally similar secondary metabolites.
• The technique supports the proof-of-concept development for GMOs producing valuable compounds.