A new way to authenticate Halal meat

A NEW meat species authentication method for Halal food verification uses the SCIEX QTRAP® 6500 LC-MS/MS system. Designed by scientists from the University of Münster in Germany, the method is said to detect different species simultaneously and achieve the lowest limits of detection even in cooked and highly processed meats.

According to Sciex, a leading company in life science analytical technologies, its QTRAP technology enables quantitative MRM³ workflows, which enhance the selectivity and data quality, and provides comprehensive peptide sequence confirmation and quantitation when analyzing complex food samples.

Traditional Halal meat speciation testing methods use PCR and ELISA that have limitations in their lack of specificity. Such limitations can lead to false product labeling and food fraud. In comparison, the LC-MS/MS based method delivers excellent sensitivity and reliability, Sciex said. It enables robust, specific, and simultaneous detection of protein peptides of multiple meat species including beef, chicken, and other meats, at levels as low as 0.02%, and can be used to support Halal certification testing programs.

“The QTRAP 6500 has the best available sensitivity and specificity, which are essential for this new method to meet the needs of religious communities, where the limit of detection must be as low as possible,” said Dr Jens Brockmeyer, Research Group Leader at the Institut für Lebenschmittelchemie, University of Münster. The sensitive and versatile new method incorporates a faster sample preparation procedure than previous mass spectrometry-based speciation methods, to simplify and accelerate meat testing.

“Food testing laboratories with QTRAP Systems can easily adopt this method, including those without proteomics backgrounds,” added Dr Brockmeyer.

Food testing laboratories are increasingly turning to mass spectrometry for its greater accuracy, reliability and robustness over traditional methods for identifying and quantifying food ingredients.

“This method brings a new level of reliability to food analysis and labeling that will allow millions of people to consume Halal-certified meat with greater confidence," said Jean-Paul Mangeolle, president of Sciex. “It exploits the QTRAP 6500’s superb sensitivity and accuracy to offer powerful new capabilities for faster, multi-species testing in diverse sample types.”