Selected tandem mass spectrometry ion monitoring for the fast identification of seafood species

Selected tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) ion monitoring (SMIM) is the most suitable scanning mode to detect known peptides in complex samples when an ion-trap mass spectrometer is the instrument used for the analysis. In this mode, the MS detector is programmed to perform continuous MS/MS scans on one or more selected precursors, either during a selected time interval, or along the whole chromatographic run. MS/MS spectra are recorded, so virtual multiple reaction monitoring chromatogram traces for the different fragment ions can be plotted. In this work, a shotgun proteomics approach was applied to the detection of previously characterized species-specific peptides from different seafood species. The proposed methodology makes use of high intensity focused ultrasound-assisted trypsin digestion for ultra fast sample preparation, peptide separation and identification by reverse phase capillary LC coupled to an ion-trap working in the SMIM scanning mode. This methodology was applied to the differential classification of seven commercial, closely related, species of Decapoda shrimps proving to be an excellent tool for seafood product authentication, which may be used by fisheries and manufacturers to provide a fast and effective identification of the specimens, guaranteeing the quality and safety of foodstuffs to consumers.