Liquid chromatography targeted mass spectrometry method to determine the animal origin of gelatine - transfer to a high throughput, low cost platform with single lab evaluation
Abstract:
A robust method for routine determination of the species origin of gelatine in foods was developed using a proprietary database of species-specific collagen peptide markers. The method, applied to chocolate mousse, jelly confectionery, meat pie jelly, and capsule shells, demonstrated 100% accuracy, precision, and specificity. It reliably detected contaminating gelatine from a second species at 1% of total gelatine or 1% of the food mass, equating to as low as 0.07% of total sample mass, well below the 1% threshold for deliberate adulteration suggested during the 2013 horse meat incident. Gelatine, derived from collagen in bovine, porcine, chicken, equine, or fish tissues, is widely used as a binder or texturizer in food and supplements. Traditional DNA- or protein-based detection methods are unreliable due to processing and denaturation. The study transferred and optimized a high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRAMS) method onto triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS instruments suitable for routine analysis. The method successfully distinguished bovine, porcine, equine, and chicken gelatines, including mixtures, demonstrating high sensitivity, robustness, and reproducibility. This approach ensures consumer confidence in labeling, supports fraud detection in the gelatine supply chain, and allows routine screening of commercial food products for species authenticity.
Date:
2024
Keywords:
Gelatine species origin, Food authenticity / fraud detection, Bovine, porcine, equine, chicken, Chocolate mousse, jelly confectionery, meat pie jelly, capsules, Collagen peptides, High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRAMS), Triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS
