Temperature Programming Secondary Electrospray Ionization (TP-SESI): A Novel Approach for Mass Spectrometry Analysis...

Plants release volatiles, specifically volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that play a key role in communication, defense mechanisms, and responses to environmental stress. One of those significant abiotic stresses is temperature, which has a variety of negative effects like reduced growth, impaired photosynthesis, and ultimately threatening plant survival. Understanding how these volatiles function under heat stress can provide insight into plant resilience mechanisms and pinpoint key signaling pathways that can be targeted to enhance stress tolerance. In this study, we employ a novel technique, temperature programming secondary electrospray ionization (TP-SESI) to investigate how temperature variations influence the signal of VOC emissions from Ocimum basilicum or basil leaves. With our sample stage's ability to systematically adjust temperature by applying a voltage, TP-SESI enables real-time, non-destructive monitoring of VOCs with enhanced sensitivity and thermal control. Our findings demonstrate that TP-SESI reliably detects temperature-dependent changes in VOC abundance and composition, confirming its utility as an orthogonal technique for investigating plant metabolic responses to heat.