Determination of origin of edible gelatin are used for soft candies by using LC Q-TOF

In this study, it was aimed to determine the origin of gelatin used in soft candies by proteomic analysis. As the gelatin raw material, porcine and bovine gelatin samples used most in the world were analyzed. The protein digestion in the samples was performed with trypsin enzyme. MSMS data of porcine and bovine gelatin were obtained by Liquid Chromatography-Flight Time Mass Spectrometry (LC-Q TOF) using electrospray ionisation technique. The obtained MSMS data were uploaded to the database with open access on the internet. As a result, amino acid sequences of peptides carrying 6 marker proteins for porcine gelatin and 7 marker proteins for bovine gelatin were reached. The retention times (RT) and m/z (Tolerance ± 20 ppm) of the peptide having marker characteristics for porcine and bovine gelatin were obtained from the obtained sequences. Optimization studies for enzymatic digestion were performed and the peak periods of the protein digestion were determined by comparing the peak areas of the marker ions at different retention times of the sample. To determine the detection limit, porcine gelatine was spiked at different ratios into bovine gelatin and analyzes were carried out. Finally, 50 soft candy samples were analyzed from 5 different brands in their original packaging from Turkey and European markets and the gelatin content in these samples was determined by amino acid sequence analysis.