Yu Mu, Shan Zhao, Jing Liu, Zheyi Liu, Jian He, Hongfang Cao, Heng Zhao, Caiyun Wang, Yan Jin, Yanxia Qi, Fangjun Wang
Lactoferrin (LTF) has diverse biological activities and is widely used in functional foods and active additives. Nevertheless, evaluating the proteoform heterogeneity, conformational stability, and activity of LTF remains challenging during its production and storage processes. In this study, we describe the implementation of native mass spectrometry (nMS), glycoproteomics, and an antimicrobial activity assay to assess the quality of LTF. We systematically characterize the purity, glycosylation heterogeneity, conformation, and thermal stability of LTF samples from different sources and transient high-temperature treatments by using nMS and glycoproteomics...
April 16, 2024: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry