Life Sciences -
The Life Sciences division brings together expertise from biotechnology, food technology, medical technology and the Physician Assistant. Applied research ranges from marine chemistry, algae biotechnology and aquaculture to topics such as bioanalytics, food microbiology and packaging technology. The collaboration between research institutions and companies results in practical solutions for current challenges in science and industry.
Flavor - Detection of blood plasma hydrolysates and meat aroma additives in sausage and meat products
An addition of e.g. blood plasma < 2% must be labeled as an ingredient in the list of ingredients under food law. A proportion > 2% must be named as a meat substitute, stating the product name. The present project idea is therefore intended to provide a new and specific analysis method for foreign protein additives in meat and sausage products, whereby the mass spectrometric detection of foreign protein-specific marker peptides is to be carried out using LC-MS/MS
Funding
Funding Body
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate ProtectionFunding Code
KK5125605HV3Funding Amount
220.000 €Duration
01.03.2024 - 31.08.2026
GfL-Gesellschaft für Lebensmittelforschung mbH, Berlin
Background and goals
The substitution of high-priced ingredients with low-cost ingredients in the food industry is becoming increasingly important as retail standards (IFS, BRC) place high demands on authenticity control. In Germany, approximately 100,000 tons of pig blood alone are produced each year. This corresponds to a theoretical amount of 30,000 tons of proteins.
These "foreign proteins" are of interest for food because they have high (water) binding properties.
The use of foreign proteins in food has to be declared and the origin has to be stated if it exceeds 2%. The DLG states that existing analytical methods for the detection of added foreign proteins (e.g. from slaughterhouse waste, blood plasma) are inadequate and need to be technologically redeveloped. Existing methods (e.g. ELISA) are ambiguous or cannot be applied to all foreign protein sources.
With the help of LC-MS, the project will provide a new, specific analytical method for the detection and estimation of the amount of foreign proteins in meat/sausage products, where the sample preparation will consist of few and less time-consuming steps.