Biomarkers of Rotted Sugar Beet: A Low-Temperature Volatile Organic Compounds Analysis Framework Using Static...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Sugar beet storage rots diminish sugar quality and economic value.
• Early detection of rots is vital for mitigating losses.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are potential biomarkers for rot detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize a low-temperature static headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) method.
• To enable accurate VOC profiling under realistic storage conditions (4°C-20°C).
• To identify reliable VOC markers for early detection of sugar beet storage rots.

Main Methods:

• Optimization of sample preparation, calibration, and static headspace sampling parameters.
• Development of a low-temperature HS-GC-MS protocol.
• Comparison of VOC profiles between healthy and rotted sugar beet samples.

Main Results:

• Identified ethanol and ethyl acetate as key VOC markers for early rot detection.
• Established a sensitive and reliable low-temperature detection protocol.
• Achieved limits of detection of 0.03 ppm for ethyl acetate and 1.4 ppm for ethanol, with high recovery rates (101-105%).

Conclusions:

• The optimized low-temperature HS-GC-MS method accurately profiles VOCs in stored sugar beets.
• This method provides a foundation for integrating VOC profiling with sensor and machine learning technologies for real-time monitoring.
• Advances sugar beet storage rot management and reduces economic losses.