Mass Spectrometry of Proteins, Peptides and Small Molecules for Food Authentication – A Systematic Survey

Food authenticity is a highly relevant topic for the entire food supply chain from the raw material to the final product. Compliance with raw material specifications and food product related legal requirements (e.g. labelling and marketing) is also mandatory for guarantee food authentication. This is all the more correct if the food is subject to certain restrictions, for example, cultural or religious issues. In addition, some manipulations of food also involve health risks. Therefore, the assurance of food authenticity, with the active involvement of all parties involved in the supply chain, has a significant impact on the perception of general legal certainty. This review reports a systematic literature survey based on the topics food authenticity and mass spectrometry in combination with the food groups cereals, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, beans, edible oils, spices, herbs, meat, seafood, milk, egg, honey and insects. Special attention was paid to the demands of the official food control authorities, concerning method development and validation aspects, as well as the improvement of data evaluation. The review shows a great need for fully validated, routine-capable and standardized methods as well as for the development of food data systems using artificial intelligence where reasonable to prevent food authenticity crises in future.