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From Left: Dr Ian Walsh, Dr Sean Chia, Corrine Wan, Dr Larry Loo, Dr Zach Pang, Sim Lyn Chiin, Tay Shi Jie, Gavin Teo

Science

Proteins have sugars called glycans that play an essential part in the regulation of physiological and pathological functions of organisms. It is therefore important to characterise and control the consistency of these glycans in biomedical studies and drug development. In this research study, we have delved into the characterization of glycans in the meat product. Our novel glycomic workflow uses a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based approach to identify the distinct glycan profiles of chicken, pork and beef. As an added bonus, this high-resolution workflow is capable of identifying specific sugars α-galactose and sialic acid (Neu5Ac) which are implicated in human diseases like allergies and cancer. Our process could contribute by providing another validation approach for meat species differentiation and food safety monitoring.

Societal Impact

Food fraud is the deceitful labelling of meat species, geographical origin, and quality. This non-compliance costs the global food industry around USD$ 6.2 to USD $40 billion annually. To overcome this, novel and robust quantitative methods are needed to profile meat samples. In this study, we have demonstrated the use of glycomic workflow as an orthogonal approach in meat species profiling and that it could be exploited in the future for the authentication of meat origin and quality.

Technical Summary

The glycomic workflow involves an experimental approach in extracting and isolating glycans from chicken, pork, and beef samples. It is then followed by quantitative glycomic analysis of O-glycan and N-glycan abundances, and the computation of the principal component analysis (PCA) to differentiate meat sample species based on the glycan structures and their abundances.

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the glycomic-based workflow for the profiling of meat samples. Meat samples are processed for protein extraction, followed by O-linked and N-linked glycan release. These glycans are analysed using mass spectrometry-based analysis.

References

Chia, S., Teo, G., Tay, S.J., Loo, L.S.W., Wan, C., Sim, L.C., Yu, H., Walsh, I. and Pang, K.T., 2022. An Integrative Glycomic Approach for Quantitative Meat Species Profiling. Foods, 11(13), p.1952.