Analytical Laboratory

Dr. Doron Goldberg – Scientific Director  

Email: [email protected]

Shai Shtekler – Laboratory Director

Email: [email protected]  

Dr. Sanaa Musa - Scientific consultant 

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Rafi Shtekler – Analytical chemist

Email: [email protected] 

The instrument provides information about the type of functional groups and bonds that exist in a particular material. The FTIR spectrum is measured in the range of 400 and 4000 cm-1 and a spectrum is obtained that constitutes a fingerprint for each substance. Measurement with the device is fast, easy and does not require special treatment. It can be used to monitor chemical changes in material (such as oxidation or other changes), to monitor chemical reactions and their products, to check for contamination in the material or sample or organic contamination.
 

The instrument identifies and quantifies chemical elements (mainly metals) in the sample. Useful for testing the type and concentration of metals and toxic metals in a sample such as food, water, soil or other samples. The instrument is useful for clinical research (testing metals in biological samples, such as blood and urine), environmental research (testing metals and toxic metals in water or soil), pharmaceutical research (testing catalysts or toxic metals in medicines) and also useful in industry (testing metals in raw materials) and more.
 

The instrument is connected to a diode array UV/VIS sensor that measures the absorption of substances from 200 nm to 750 nm. The device is used to separate organic substances that have absorption in this range and quantify their concentration within the sample using standards and calibration curves (the minimum concentration that can be measured depends on the material and strength its absorption, individual PPM - mg per liter).
 

The instrument is used to separate organic substances and identify their structure (mainly volatile substances and substances that cannot be measured by other instruments such as HPLC and LCMS). The instrument is used to quantify the exact concentration of known substances in a sample by using calibration curves of their standards. The device is also used to identify materials within a sample by using libraries and repositories such as NIST. You can also make a comparison between different samples and check how different treatments affect the composition of the materials in the sample (comparing the areas of the materials within the samples that have undergone different treatments). The instrument can measure both liquid samples - liquid injection (substances dissolved in organic solvents) and volatile substances above the sample using the solid phase microextraction (SPME) method. This method does not require special preparation or treatment of the sample; the sample is simply placed in a vial and the volatile substances above it are measured. (The sample can be liquid, solid, biological tissue, biological sample, blood, urine, plant sample, leaves, inflorescences, etc.).
 

The instrument is used to separate substances using UHPLC and to identify the substances by using a mass spectrometer detector. The instrument identifies any substance with a functional group that has the potential to accept or donate a proton (H+) such as alcohols, ketones and aldehydes, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, amines and amino acids. The detector is of the Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ type which has a high resolution and enables the measurement of masses of materials with very high accuracy. It is also possible to break the molecules and measure their MS2 spectrum.
 

The electron microscope gives images of the sample by scanning its surface with a focused electron beam. The device is useful in the fields of biology, food and polymer research. For example, in the image you can see an image of red blood cells that were scanned by the device.
 

The instrument allows researchers to check the total amount of organic carbon in a sample, where its existence and quantity present a general index of contamination in water samples. Organic carbon can come from natural sources such as the decay of organic materials from animals and plants, or from human-made pollutant sources, such as solvent effluents, pesticides and other synthetic products.
 

FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy)

Olshansky, Y., Masaphy, S., Root, R.A., Rytwo, G., 2018. Immobilization of Rhus vernicifera laccase on sepiolite; effect of chitosan and copper modification on laccase adsorption and activity. Appl. Clay Sci. 152, 143–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2017.11.006

Abdelhadi, S.O., Dosoretz, C.G., Rytwo, G., Gerchman, Y., Azaizeh, H., 2017. Production of biochar from olive mill solid waste for heavy metal removal. Bioresour. Technol. 244, 759–767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.08.013

Gutman, R., Rauch, M., Neuman, A., Khamaisi, H., Jonas-Levi, A., Konovalova, Y., Rytwo, G., 2019. Sepiolite Clay Attenuates the Development of Hypercholesterolemia and Obesity in Mice Fed a High-Fat High-Cholesterol Diet. J. Med. Food jmf.2019.0030. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2019.0030

Rendel, P.M., Rytwo, G., 2020. The Effect of Electrolytes on the Photodegradation Kinetics of Caffeine. Catal. 2020, Vol. 10, Page 644 10, 644. https://doi.org/10.3390/CATAL10060644

Argaman, O., Ben-Barak Zelas, Z., Fishman, A., Rytwo, G., Radian, A., 2021. Immobilization of aldehyde dehydrogenase on montmorillonite using polyethyleneimine as a stabilization and bridging agent. Appl. Clay Sci. 212, 106216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2021.106216

Ben Moshe, S., Rytwo, G., 2018. Thiamine-based organoclay for phenol removal from water. Appl. Clay Sci. 155, 50–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2018.01.003

ICP-AES (Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy)

Rendel, P.M., Rytwo, G., 2020. The Effect of Electrolytes on the Photodegradation Kinetics of Caffeine. Catal. 2020, Vol. 10, Page 644 10, 644. DOI: 10.3390/CATAL10060644

Olshansky, Y., Masaphy, S., Root, R.A., Rytwo, G., 2018. Immobilization of Rhus vernicifera laccase on sepiolite; effect of chitosan and copper modification on laccase adsorption and activity. Appl. Clay Sci. 152, 143–147.DOI: 10.1016/j.clay.2017.11.006

Basheer Loai, Ben-Simchon Eyal, Cohen Alisa, and Shelef Oren. "From Traditional Food to Functional Food? Evaluation of Malvaceae Species as Novel Food Crops". Agronomy, 11, 1294, (2021): DOI: 10.3390/agronomy11071294

Cattan Y., Patil D., Vaknin Y., Rytwo G., Lakemond C, Benjamin O. (2022) Characterization of Moringa oleifera leaf and seed protein extract functionality in emulsion model system. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 75 (102903). DOI: 10.1016/j.ifset.2021.102903

GC-MS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry)

Arieli, R., and Khatib, S. (2022) Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine in the heart of mice with lupus might support the hypothesis of dual causes of autoimmune diseases, Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 300, 103871. DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2022.103871

Arieli, R., Khatib, S., Khattib, A., Bukovetzky, E., and Gottfried, O. D. (2021) Is the probable spillage of the lung surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine the ultimate source of diabetes type 1?, Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 286, 103615. DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2020.103615

Atrahimovich, D., Harris, R., Eitan, R., Cohen, M., and Khatib, S. (2021) Galantamine Quantity and Alkaloid Profile in the Bulbs of Narcissus tazetta and daffodil cultivars (Amaryllidaceae) Grown in Israel, Metabolites 11, 185. DOI: 10.3390/metabo11030185

Degani, O., Khatib, S., Becher, P., Gordani, A., and Harris, R. (2021) Trichoderma asperellum Secreted 6-Pentyl-α-Pyrone to Control Magnaporthiopsis maydis, the Maize Late Wilt Disease Agent, Biology 10, 897. DOI: 10.3390/biology10090897

Fares, F., Khatib, S., Vaya, J., Sharvit, L., Eizenberg, E., and Wasser, S. (2022) Striatal Isolated from Cyathus striatus Extracts Induces Apoptosis in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Molecules 27, 2746. DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092746

Hajouj, H., Khattib, A., Atrahimovich, D., Musa, S., and Khatib, S. (2022) S-Nitrosylation of Paraxonase 1 (PON1) Elevates Its Hydrolytic and Antioxidant Activities, Biomolecules 12, 414. DOI: 10.3390/biom12030414

Khattib, A., Atrahimovich, D., Dahli, L., Vaya, J., and Khatib, S. (2020) Lyso‐diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine (lyso‐DGTS) isolated from Nannochloropsis microalgae improves high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) functions, BioFactors 46, 146-157. DOI: 10.1002/biof.1580

Kostanda, E., and Khatib, S. (2022) Biotic stress caused by Tetranychus urticae mites elevates the quantity of secondary metabolites, cannabinoids and terpenes, in Cannabis sativa L, Industrial Crops and Products 176, 114331. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.114331

Li, Y., Toothaker, J. M., Ben-Simon, S., Ozeri, L., Schweitzer, R., McCourt, B. T., McCourt, C. C., Werner, L., Snapper, S. B., and Shouval, D. S. (2020) In utero human intestine harbors unique metabolome, including bacterial metabolites, JCI insight 5. DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.138751

Sher, S., Green, A., Khatib, S., and Dagan, Y. (2021) The possible role of endozepines in sleep regulation and biomarker of process S of the Borbély sleep model, Chronobiology International 38, 122-128. DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1849252

Associations between fecal short-chain fatty acids and sleep continuity in older adults with insomnia symptoms. F Magzal, C Even, I Haimov, M Agmon, K Asraf, T Shochat, S Tamir. Scientific reports 11 (1), 1-8. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83389-5

Increased physical activity improves gut microbiota composition and reduces short-chain fatty acid concentrations in older adults with insomnia. F Magzal, T Shochat, I Haimov, S Tamir, K Asraf, M Tuchner-Arieli, C Even, M Agmon Scientific Reports 12 (1), 1-14. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05099-w

First trimester gut microbiome induces Inflammation-dependent gestational diabetes phenotype in mice. Y Pinto, S Frishman, S Turjeman, A Eshel, M Nuriel-Ohayon, O Ziv, W Walters, J Parsonnet, C Ley, E Johnson, R Schweitzer, S Khatib, F Magzal, S Tamir, KT Gavish, S Rautava, S Salminen, E Isolauri, O Yariv, Y Peled, E Poran, J Pardo, R Chen, M Hod, R Ley, B Schwartz, E Hadar, Y Louzoun, O Koren. DOI: 10.1101/2021.09.17.21262268

Microbial signature in IgE-mediated food allergies. MR Goldberg, H Mor, D Magid Neriya, F Magzal, E Muller, MY Appel, L Nachshon, E Borenstein, S Tamir, Y Louzoun, I Youngster, A Elizur, O Koren Genome medicine 12 (1), 1-18. DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00789-4

Oluwatofunmi S., Lakemond C., Benjamin O. (2022) Flavor release and stability comparison between nano and conventional emulsion as influenced by saliva. Journal of Food Science and Technology. DOI: 10.1007/s13197-022-05534-w

LCMS Thermo Scientific™ Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ Mass Spectrometer

Rytwo, G., Levy, S., Shahar, Y., Lotan, I., Zelkind, A.L., Klein, T., Barak, C., 2021. Health Protection Using Clay Minerals: A Case Study Based on the Removal of BPA and BPS from Water. Clays Clay Miner. 69, 641–653. DOI: 10.1007/s42860-021-00166-1

Evidence of a significant role of glutathione reductase in the sulfur assimilation pathway (2020)  The Plant Journal, 246–261. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14621

Enhanced production of aromatic amino acids in tobacco plants leads to increased phenylpropanoid metabolites and tolerance to stresses (2020)  Front Plant Sci,  11: 604349  DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14621

A Myb transcription factor, PgMyb308-like, enhances the level of shikimate, aromatic amino acids, and lignins, but represses the synthesis of flavonoids and hydrolyzable tannins, in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) (2022) Horticulture Research, 9: uhac008. DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhac008  

Gur et al., Mixtures of Macro and Micronutrients Control Grape Powdery Mildew and Alter Berry Metabolites. Plants 2022, 11:978. DOI: 10.3390/plants11070978

Tyagi et al. Effects of gibberellin and cytokinin on phenolic and volatile composition of Sangiovese grapes. Scientia Horticultura 2022 295 : 110860. DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110860

Masaphy, S., Vanti, G. L., & Zabari, L. (2022). Laccase enhancement and antifungal toxicity reduction: Bidirectional influences between Pomegranate peel extract and Morchella conica mycelium activity. Bioresource Technology Reports, 17, 100936. DOI: 10.1016/j.biteb.2021.100936

Ya'ar Bar, S., Dor M., Erov, M., Afriat-Jurnou, L. Identification and Characterization of a New Quorum-Quenching N-acyl Homoserine Lactonase in the Plant Pathogen Erwinia amylovora. J Agric Food Chem 2021 May 26;69(20):5652-5662.  DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c00366 

TOC (Total Organic Carbon)

Rytwo, G., Levy, S., Shahar, Y., Lotan, I., Zelkind, A.L., Klein, T., Barak, C., 2021. Health Protection Using Clay Minerals: A Case Study Based on the Removal of BPA and BPS from Water. Clays Clay Miner. 69, 641–653. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-021-00166-1