Advancements in the chemical structures of Ergot acyl glycerides by high performances liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry

A comprehensive picture of the chemical composition and structure of the acyl-glycerides from ergot (fungi of the genus Claviceps) sclerotia was carried out using liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF) following microwave solvent extraction. The method allowed us to study the chemical structures of >70 compounds being most of these reported and characterized here for the first time in ergot sclerotia. Diglycerides, triglycerides and estolides were proper preliminary separated using reverse phase chromatography and the unambiguous chemical structure of each species was characterized using high resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Our data and results could be useful for anyone interested in detecting ergot contaminations in cereals and deriving products, as alternative to the identification of alkaloids, in better understanding the behavior of ergot fungi in biological contest and in evaluating the potential uses of ergot estolides in industrial applications.