Analysis of food proteins and peptides by mass spectrometry-based techniques

Mass spectrometry has arguably become the core technology for the characterization of food proteins and peptides. The application of mass spectrometry-based techniques for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the complex protein mixtures contained in most food preparations is playing a decisive role in the understanding of their nature, structure, functional properties and impact on human health. The application of mass spectrometry to protein analysis has been revolutionized in the recent years by the development of soft ionization techniques such as electrospray ionization and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization, and by the introduction of multi-stage and 'hybrid' analyzers able to generate de novo amino acid sequence information. The interfacing of mass spectrometry with protein databases has resulted in entirely new possibilities of protein characterization, including the high sensitivity mapping (femtomole to attomole levels) of post-translational and other chemical modifications, protein conformations and protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions, and in general for proteomic studies, building up the core platform of modern proteomic science. MS-based strategies to food and nutrition proteomics are now capable to address a wide range of analytical questions which include issues related to food quality and safety, certification and traceability of (typical) products, and to the definition of the structure/function relationship of food proteins and peptides. These different aspects are necessarily interconnected and can be effectively understood and elucidated only by use of integrated, up-to-date analytical approaches. In this review, the main aspects of current and perspective applications of mass spectrometry and proteomic technologies to the structural characterization of food proteins are presented, with focus on issues related to their detection, identification, and quantification, relevant for their biochemical, technological and toxicological aspects.