Fast Authenticity Testing of Food Ingredients with DART-HRMS

This technical report presents a comprehensive workflow for the rapid screening of food fraud, specifically focusing on black truffles, which are susceptible to adulteration due to significant price differences among species. The report outlines the use of Direct Analysis in Real-Time (DART) ionization coupled with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) for effective analysis. It details the methodology for sample preparation, including lyophilization and extraction, and the instrumentation used, such as the DART JumpShot source and impact II VIP QTOF mass spectrometer. The results section discusses the species-specific mass spectra obtained and the statistical analysis performed using MetaboScape software. The report emphasizes the identification of distinctive marker compounds through advanced data processing techniques, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). The findings demonstrate the potential of DART-HRMS in distinguishing between different truffle species and highlight the importance of this method in ensuring food authenticity and quality control.