Rapid detection of water buffalo ricotta adulteration or contamination by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: The improvement and development of novel technologies and analytical tools are an important first line of defence for both detecting and deterring food frauds. In order to protect the authenticity of traditional foods and safeguard geographical indications and traditional specialities at European level, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) legislation has been introduced as a guarantee of quality (Council Regulation ECC 2081/92). Dairy products, especially those certified as PDO products, are amongst the most common targets of fraudulent activities. Recently, the buffalo ricotta, a dairy product exclusively made with buffalo milk and produced in the same geographical area of most widely known buffalo mozzarella, has gained PDO recognition.

METHODS: In the present work, a fast and simple matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS)-based methodology has been developed for detecting the adulteration or contamination of buffalo ricotta with bovine milk.

RESULTS: We optimized a fast procedure for digesting milk proteins and identified a novel specific proteotypic marker, corresponding to region 149-162 of β-lactoglobulin, as highly diagnostic for the presence of cow milk within ricotta matrices.

CONCLUSIONS: By exploiting the advantages of MALDI-TOFMS, the proposed methodology represents a useful tool for the assessment of buffalo ricotta authenticity and to guarantee the PDO certification against frauds.