New insights into the search of meat quality biomarkers assisted by Orbitrap Tribrid untargeted metabolite analysis and chemometrics.

Metabolite profiles of normal and defective dry, firm and dark (DFD) meat extracts with known ultimate pH (pHu) values were determined by Orbitrap Tribrid ID-X untargeted analysis coupled to chemometrics. An intelligent MS AcquireX workflow firstly approached the unambiguous characterization of detected features that were subsequently quantified by a complementary MS study of biological replicates. Chemometric research revealed how threonylphenylalanine (overexpressed in normal meats) together to tetradecadienoyl- and hydroxydodecanoyl-carnitines (both overexpressed in DFD meats) appropriately grouped meat groups assayed.

Review of the state of the art of acrylamide human biomonitoring.

Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a very useful tool for assessing human exposure to acrylamide (AA). In the framework of the Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) AA was included in its second list of priority substances due to the potential threat to human health. HBM data on AA are scarce, but the use of specific and sensitive biomarkers represents a reliable indicator of exposure.

Children's exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Valencian Region (Spain): Urinary levels, predictors of exposure and risk assessment.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants that are released into the environment during incomplete combustion of organic matter and which can have a negative effect on human health. PAHs enter the human body mostly through ingestion of food or inhalation of tobacco smoke. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the internal levels of PAHs that children living in the Valencian Region (Spain) are exposed to.

Do background levels of the pesticide pirimiphosmethyl in plant-based aquafeeds affect food safety of farmed Atlantic salmon?

The substitution of fish oil and fishmeal with plant-based ingredients in commercial aquafeeds for Atlantic salmon, may introduce novel contaminants that have not previously been associated with farmed fish. The organophosphate pesticide pirimiphos-methyl (PM) is one of the novel contaminants that is most prevalent in commercial salmon feed. In this study, the feed-to-fillet transfer of dietary PM and its main metabolites was investigated in Atlantic salmon fillet.

LC-MS/MS method for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides and their metabolites in salmon and zebrafish fed with plant-based feed ingredients.

The composition of Atlantic salmon feed has changed considerably over the last two decades from being marine-based (fishmeal and fish oil) to mainly containing plant ingredients. Consequently, concern related to traditional persistent contaminants typically associated with fish-based feed has been replaced by other potential contaminants not previously associated with salmon farming. This is the case for many pesticides, which are used worldwide to increase food production, and may be present in plant ingredients.

Identification of very long-chain (>C) fatty acid methyl esters using gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source.

Gas chromatography coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass analyzer (QTOF) with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source has been tested to study the ionization and mass spectrometric behavior of long-chain and very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs, C; VLC-PUFAs, >C). The protonated molecule ([M+H]), measured at accurate mass, became the base peak of the spectrum for all the studied compounds and was promoted by the addition of water into the source. This fact overcame the existing difficulties for the identification of VLC-PUFAs when using an electron ionization source (EI).

Multi-class determination of undesirables in aquaculture samples by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization: A novel approach for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

In this work, a method for the analysis of 24 PAHs in 19 different matrices, including fish tissues, feeds and feed ingredients, has been developed using gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source (GC-APCI-MS/MS). The method is based on a modification of the unbuffered QuEChERS method, using freezing as an additional clean-up step and applying a 20-fold dilution factor to the final extract. The procedure was also tested for 15 pesticides and 7 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in order to widen the scope of the method.

Comprehensive strategy for pesticide residue analysis through the production cycle of gilthead sea bream and Atlantic salmon.

Plant ingredients and processed animal proteins are alternative feedstuffs for fish feeds in aquaculture. However, their use can introduce contaminants like pesticides that are not previously associated with marine Atlantic salmon and gilthead sea bream farming. This study covers the screening of around 800 pesticides by gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry in matrices throughout the entire marine food production chain.