Biopolymers Derived from Solanum lycopersicum: Synthesis with CAL-B and Their Structural Analysis by Mass Spectrometry (DI-ESI and MALDI-TOF).

The main component of tomato cutin, 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acid, was obtained from agro-industrial waste and used to perform the polymerization reaction catalyzed by CAL-B, which is the best enzymatic reaction for producing linear oligomers; the oligomers were analyzed using direct infusion electrospray mass spectrometry (DI-ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) techniques. The characterization of aliphatic biopolymers is challenging due to their chemical characteristics, which make them poorly accessible for mass spectrometry analysis. During the characterization of these biopolymers, protocols involving chemical structures have been developed; therefore, DI-ESI MS has been introduced as an alternative technique. In addition, MALDI-TOF has become an essential tool for analyzing different biopolymers with masses up to 300,000 Da. The selection of available matrices and, in some cases, the search for new matrices and the procedure used are essential to ensure that the results reflect the true chemical nature of the polymeric system. This chapter describes the synthesis of aliphatic polymers derived from the main monomer of tomato cutin by means of the CAL-B enzyme and their characterization using DI-ESI and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry techniques.