Comprehensive peptide marker identification for the detection of multiple nut allergens using a non-targeted LC-HRMS...

Area of Science:

• Food safety analysis
• Analytical chemistry
• Mass spectrometry

Background:

• Food allergies are a growing global concern, necessitating sensitive detection methods.
• Existing methods for allergen detection have limitations, and a comprehensive approach is needed.
• Mass spectrometry (MS) shows promise, but standardized marker peptides and multi-allergen methods are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a consistent approach for creating liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) multi-screening methods for food allergens.
• To identify and validate specific tryptic marker peptides for allergenic nuts.
• To establish the first LC-MS multi-allergen detection method using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS).

Main Methods:

• Utilized shotgun proteomics to identify proteotypic peptides from six allergenic nut species.
• Verified marker peptide specificity and sensitivity through rigorous testing.
• Developed and applied an LC-HRMS method for detecting trace nut contaminations in processed foods.

Main Results:

• Identified 44 suitable tryptic marker peptides from six allergenic nut species.
• Developed an LC-HRMS method with limits of detection (LODs) below 10 μg/g for several nuts.
• Demonstrated the untargeted capability of HRMS for retrospective multi-allergen identification.

Conclusions:

• Presented the largest consensus set of analytical markers for nut allergens to date.
• Established the first multi-allergen detection method based on LC-HRMS.
• The developed method offers sensitive and comprehensive allergen detection, comparable to existing techniques.