On-line mass spectrometry platform for the monitoring and quantitative determination of volatile and non-volatile low-molecular-mass microbial metabolites during fermentation processes

The requested infrastructure comprises two on-line mass spectrometers, a UPLC-MS/MS and a SIFT-MS, that will be involved in the quantification of volatile and non-volatile low-molecular-mass microbial metabolites that are produced during food fermentation processes. The obtained data will provide a better insight in microbial kinetics during the fermentation processes, and will help to elucidate microbial pathways and production mechanisms, and to develop mathematical models to better describe, analyse and exploit these fermentations.