Available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/watres Study on the oligosaccharides composition of the water- soluble fraction of marine mucilage by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry A. Cappiello a,Ã , H. Trufelli a , G. Famiglini a , E. Pierini a , S. Capellacci b , A. Penna b , F. Ricci b , C. Ingarao b , N. Penna b a Istituto di Scienze Chimiche ‘‘F. Bruner’’, Universita ` di Urbino ‘‘Carlo Bo’’, Piazza Rinascimento 6, 61029 Urbino, Italy b Centro di Biologia Ambientale,Universita ` di Urbino ‘‘Carlo Bo’’, Viale Trieste 296, 61100 Pesaro, Italy article info Article history: Received 12 December 2006 Received in revised form 22 March 2007 Accepted 7 April 2007 Available online 22 May 2007 Keywords: Marine mucilage Northern Adriatic Sea Oligosaccharides LC-ESI-MS/MS abstract The massive accumulation of organic matter, which periodically occurs in the northern Adriatic Sea, and in other locations worldwide, is presently thought to be the results of the aggregation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) into particulate organic matter (POM). This phenomenon is the result of human activities and propitious weather conditions. Although many aspects of the phenomenon are well understood, the trigger mechanisms leading to mucilage formation have not been clarified yet, probably as a consequence of inadequate analytical approaches. In this context, the recent advancements in LC-MS interfacing might contribute in clarifying the mechanism of mucilage formation. In the present paper, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HILC-ESI-MS/MS) is proposed as an innovative method for the investigation of underivatized oligosaccharides in mucilage samples. Recent findings suggest that the significant presence of these compounds in seawater can play an important role in the initial steps of the agglomeration processes forming gelatinous material. Our results reveal the presence of several maltodextrines in the water-soluble fraction of mucilage macroaggregates, collected in various locations of the northern Adriatic Sea. In our knowledge, the proposed method is the first application of LC-MS in the investigation of marine mucilage. & 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The northern Adriatic Sea episodically experiences a massive flocculation of gelatinous material to form aggregates of striking dimensions and abundance (Stachowitsch et al., 1990). Mucilage events have been recorded for over two centuries (Molin et al., 1992), however, during the last two decades, their incidence increased, affecting on at least one occasion (1989) an area of 10,000 km 2 (Marchetti et al., 1992; Stachowitsch et al., 1990; Penna et al, 1993). During the periods of maximum development of the phenomenon the environmental and economical impact on coastal commu- nities has been remarkable: suspended aggregates created serious damages to the fishery industry and gelatinous masses, floating on sea surface, were driven by winds towards the coast, seriously reducing all tourism activities (Penna et al., 2000). Furthermore, the sedimentation of macroaggre- gates induced the suffocation death of many benthonic organisms (Penna et al., 1993). Small aggregates like marine snow are commonly found in oceanic and marine systems, ARTICLE IN PRESS 0043-1354/$ - see front matter & 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2007.04.003 Ã Corresponding author. Tel.: +390722303344; fax: +390722303311. E-mail address: acappiello@uniurb.it (A. Cappiello). WATER RESEARCH 41 (2007) 2911– 2920