MALDI-TOF-MS integrated workflow for food authenticity investigations: An untargeted protein-based approach for rapid detection of PDO feta cheese adulteration

Anastasia S Kritikou; Reza Aalizadeh; Dimitrios E Damalas; Ioanna V Barla; Carsten Baessmann; Nikolaos S Thomaidis

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131057

MALDI-TOF-MS integrated workflow for food authenticity investigations: An untargeted protein-based approach for rapid detection of PDO feta cheese adulteration

Food Chem. 2022 Feb 15:370:131057. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131057. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

Authors

Anastasia S Kritikou¹, Reza Aalizadeh¹, Dimitrios E Damalas¹, Ioanna V Barla¹, Carsten Baessmann², Nikolaos S Thomaidis³

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece.
² Bruker Daltonics GmbH, Fahrenheitstr. 4, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
³ Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece. Electronic address: ntho@chem.uoa.gr.

PMID: 34536781
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131057

Abstract

Advances in Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization -Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) have led to its supremacy for complex assessment of food authenticity studies, like dairy products fraud, holding promise for the discovery of potential authenticity (bio)markers. In this study, an integrated untargeted protein-based workflow in combination with advanced chemometrics is presented, to address authenticity challenges in PDO feta cheese which is legally manufactured by the mixture of sheep/goat milk. Potential markers attributed to specific animal origin were found from protein profiles acquired for authentic feta and white cheeses (prepared from cow milk), belonging to 4 kDa-18.5 kDa mass area. Rapid detection of feta cheese adulteration from cow milk was also achieved down to 1% adulteration level. The discriminative models showed high predictive ability for feta cheese authenticity (Q² = 0.920, RMSEE = 0.053) and its adulteration (Q² = 0.835, RMSEE = 0.121), introducing a reliable approach in routine analysis. The methodology was successfully applied in detection of cow milk in sheep yoghurt.

Keywords: Adulteration; Chemometrics; Feta cheese; MALDI-TOF-MS; PDO dairy product; Proteins.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cattle
Cheese* / analysis
Female
Food Contamination / analysis
Milk
Sheep
Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
Workflow