Non-Invasive Techniques in Seed Metabolomics
Analysis of volatile hydrocarbons by Headspace Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) may serve as a non-invasive assessment of seed viability
This project is one of a series in the theme Genetics and chemical traits.
Conventional methods in analytical chemistry and molecular biology are invaluable to study chemical traits of seeds, but they are usually destructive. Recent advances in the development of non-invasive techniques now enable us to study metabolic changes in organisms, although often not with the same level of detail as invasive techniques. In our research into seed traits, we aim to find an appropriate compromise between the use of invasive and non-invasive techniques. For example, a non-invasive technique applied to seeds was headspace Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) to relate the volatile fingerprint of seeds to the mechanisms of viability loss during seed ageing.
Project Team
Project Leader: Kranner, Ilse
Seed Conservation Department
Ilse Kranner
Project Partners and Collaborators
UK
Central Science Laboratories, York
Funders
UK
Defra
MSBP