Comparative analysis of microbial contamination in diesel fuels using MALDI-TOF MS

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Fuel Science

Background:

• Microbial contamination in fuels degrades quality and operational safety.
• Managing microbial risks is crucial for fuel system longevity and environmental sustainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify microbiological contaminants in diesel fuel using two MALDI-TOF MS systems.
• To compare the performance of Bruker and Zybio MALDI-TOF MS systems in microbial identification.
• To validate MALDI-TOF MS results with 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Main Methods:

• Culturing microorganisms from three diesel fuel types.
• Analysis of fuel samples using Bruker Daltonik and Zybio MALDI-TOF MS systems.
• Validation of proteomic identifications via 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in microbial contamination were found across fuel types.
• A total of 272 bacterial and fungal isolates were identified.
• Ekodiesel Ultra B0 showed the highest microbial load.
• Zybio system achieved 48% species-level identification, while Bruker achieved 33%.

Conclusions:

• MALDI-TOF MS is effective for assessing microbiological contamination in fuels.
• The Zybio system demonstrated superior performance in species-level identification.
• Combining MALDI-TOF MS with molecular techniques offers a comprehensive analysis of fuel microbial communities.