Method to quantify aluminum-induced organic acids secretion by roots of plants in nutrient solution using GC–MS

Organic acids (OAs) play an essential role in several cellular biochemical pathways. Released by plant roots, OAs can help them tolerate phytotoxic forms of aluminum (Al) present in acidic soils. Some studies use high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatography and, more rarely, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to analyze exuded OAs, but they are limited to hours or 1–2 days. The main limitation is that OAs are...