Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Research Council (CNR), I-83100 Avellino, Italy.
J Chromatogr A. 2009 Oct 23;1216(43):7130-42. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2009.07.052. Epub 2009 Aug 3.
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.
质谱法无疑已成为食品蛋白质和肽类鉴定的核心技术。基于质谱的技术在定性和定量分析大多数食品中复杂蛋白质混合物中的应用，对于理解其性质、结构、功能特性及其对人类健康的影响，正起着决定性的作用。近年来，由于软电离技术（如电喷雾电离和基质辅助激光解吸/电离）的发展，以及能够生成从头氨基酸序列信息的多级和“混合”分析仪的引入，质谱法在蛋白质分析中的应用发生了革命性的变化。质谱与蛋白质数据库的接口为蛋白质鉴定带来了全新的可能性，包括对翻译后和其他化学修饰、蛋白质构象、蛋白质-蛋白质和蛋白质-配体相互作用的高灵敏度映射（飞摩尔到阿摩尔水平），以及一般的蛋白质组学研究，为现代蛋白质组学科学构建了核心平台。基于 MS 的食品和营养蛋白质组学策略现在能够解决广泛的分析问题，包括与食品质量和安全、（典型）产品的认证和可追溯性以及食品蛋白质和肽的结构/功能关系相关的问题。这些不同的方面是相互关联的，只有通过使用集成的、最新的分析方法才能有效地理解和阐明这些问题。在这篇综述中，介绍了当前和有前景的质谱和蛋白质组学技术在食品蛋白质结构鉴定方面的主要应用方面，重点介绍了与它们的检测、鉴定和定量相关的问题，这些问题与它们的生化、技术和毒理学方面有关。
