Environmental and Food Molecular Markers: Characterization and Binding Mechanism by Separation Methods

第一个目标将侧重于开发分离方法，主要是毛细管电泳（CE）和液相色谱-质谱（LC/MS），用于分析和表征可用作环境污染和食品真实性的示踪剂或指标的分子标记。在环境沃茨，这项研究方案将侧重于分子标记，如内分泌干扰物、甾醇、树脂酸、氯酚，这些物质越来越多地被用作积累和污染等环境行为的指标。此外，该研究计划将确定来自纸浆和造纸，采矿，风能和石油工业的废水的标记物，并将这些标记物用作周围环境体污染的示踪剂。粪便固醇和胆汁酸将用于区分环境沃茨中动物粪便污染的来源，并将结果与饲养制度的类型联系起来。此外，我将重点关注Transformer流体中的潜在标记物。变压器使用导线线圈，上面覆盖着纤维素纸基绝缘体。在变压器中用作绝缘流体的矿物油和酯基油随着Transformer在使用中老化而越来越多地被纤维素分解产物污染，导致油降解，从而导致Transformer故障和失效。在食品中，目标是利用脂肪酸和多酚来鉴别乳制品的质量，并利用乳清蛋白来鉴别乳制品行业中乳清污染的来源。因此，本研究将涉及开发有效的分离方法（CE，LC/MS，GC/MS），以表征油分解的分解副产物和新的指示剂化合物，并将其与油的老化联系起来，从而预测Transformer故障。这将使电力公司能够设计适当的纠正措施，以防止Transformer故障。这将深入了解天然和合成酯油的组成如何影响油的老化以及它们如何与Transformer故障相关。因此，电力公用事业行业将拥有化学知识来用来设计适当的纠正措施，以防止Transformer故障。第二个目标将集中于开发分离方法，以研究双酚和多酚与血清转运蛋白（例如，白蛋白）。这些白蛋白在血液循环系统中起着重要作用，并且具有与标记物相互作用的倾向。将开发CE方法来探测双酚/多酚与白蛋白之间的相互作用。本研究将有助于从分子水平上阐明双酚和多酚的结合机理。

This first objective would focus on developing separation methods, primarily capillary electrophoresis (CE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS), for the analysis and characterization of molecular markers that can be used as tracers or indicators for environmental contamination and for food authenticity. In environmental waters, this research program would focus on molecular markers, such as endocrine disruptors, sterols, resin acids, chlorophenolics, which are increasingly being used as indicators of environmental behaviour such as accumulation and contamination. In addition, the research program will identify markers that originate from effluents of pulp and paper, mining, wind energy and oil industries and use the markers as tracers for contamination of surrounding environmental bodies. Fecal sterols and bile acids will be used to distinguish between sources of animal fecal pollution in environmental waters and relate the results to the type of feeding regime. In addition I would focus on potential markers in transformer fluids. Transformers use coils of conducting wire covered with a cellulose paper-based insulator. Mineral oils and ester-based oils which are used as insulating fluids in transformers are increasingly contaminated with cellulose breakdown products as the transformer ages in service causing the oils to degrade resulting in transformer faults and failure. In food, the goal is to use fatty acids and polyphenols to identify the quality of dairy products and whey proteins to identify source of whey pollution in the dairy industry. Therefore, this study will involve developing efficient separation methods (CE, LC/MS, GC/MS) to characterize the breakdown by-products and new indicator compounds from oil decomposition and relate these to the aging of the oils and thus predict transformer failure. This would enable power utility companies to design appropriate corrective measures to prevent transformer failures. This will offer an in-depth knowledge into how the composition of natural and synthetic based ester oils impact the aging of the oils and how they relate to transformer faults. As a result, power utility industries would have chemical knowledge to use to design appropriate corrective measures to prevent transformer failures.The second objective will focus on developing separation methods to investigate the binding interaction of bisphenols and polyphenols with serum transport proteins (e.g., albumins). These albumins play an important role in the blood circulatory system and have a tendency to interact with the markers. CE methods would be developed to probe the interaction between the bisphenols/polyphenols and albumins. This study will help to elucidate the binding mechanism of the bisphenols and polyphenols at a molecular level.