Suberin, a plant polyester, consists of polyfunctional long-chain fatty acids and glycerol and is an intriguing candidate as a novel antimicrobial material. We purified suberin from cork using ionic-liquid catalysis during which the glycerol bonds that ensure the polymeric nature of suberin remained intact or were only partially cleaved—yielding the closest to a native configuration reported to date.

The chemistry of suberin, both in situ (in cryogenically ground cork) and ex situ (ionic-liquid extracted), was elucidated using high-resolution one- and two-dimensional solution-state NMR analyses. Centrifugation was used to isolate suberin particles of distinct densities and their monomeric composition, assembly, and bactericidal effect, inter alia, were assessed.

Analysis of the molecular structure of suberin revealed the relative abundance of linear aliphatic vs. acylglycerol esters, comprising all acylglycerol configurations and the amounts of total carbonyls (CO), free acid end groups (COOH), OH aliphatics, and OH aromatics. Suberin centrifuged fractions revealed generic physiochemical properties and monomeric composition ​and self-assemble into polygonal structures that display distinct degrees of compactness when lyophilized. Suberin particles—suberinsomes—display bactericidal activity against major human pathogenic bacteria.

Fingerprinting the multifunctionality of complex (plant) polyesters such as suberin allows for the identification of novel polymer assemblies with significant value-added properties.

Suberin是一种植物聚酯，由多官能长链脂肪酸和甘油组成，作为一种新型的抗微生物材料，它是一种引人入胜的候选产品。我们使用离子液体催化从软木塞中纯化了木脂素，在该过程中，确保木脂素聚合性质的甘油键保持完整或仅被部分裂解-使其最接近迄今为止报道的天然构型。

使用高分辨率的一维和二维溶液态NMR分析阐明了木栓质的化学性质，包括原位（在低温磨碎的软木塞中）和非原位（提取的离子液体）。离心法不同密度的分离物木栓质颗粒及其单体组成，装配和杀菌作用，除其他外，进行了评估。

对木栓质分子结构的分析揭示了线性脂肪族相对于酰基甘油酯的相对丰度，其中包括所有酰基甘油构型以及总羰基（C O），游离酸端基（COOH），OH脂族和OH芳族化合物的量。Suberin离心级分显示出一般的理化性质和单体组成，并自组装成多边形结构，冻干时显示出不同程度的致密性。Suberin微粒-Suberinsomes-对主要的人类病原菌表现出杀菌活性。

对复杂（植物）聚酯如木栓质的多功能性进行指纹分析，可以鉴定出具有显着增值特性的新型聚合物组件。