Application of proteomics in food science

This paper reviews application in food science of proteomic techniques, which use high-performance separation methods combined with dedicated mass spectrometry and allow to detect global changes in protein composition. Due to complex biological composition of food, proteomics is increasingly used for characterization of food proteomes aimed at development and optimization of food products. Application of proteomics in food science is presented on characterization of raw materials of animal origin, such as meat for the identification of quality markers, and natural breast milk substitutes for identification of allergens, besides use of proteomics to monitor protein changes during meat processing, supporting strong relationship between breakdown of protein molecules and the quality of final products. Also covered are proteome observations in plant food leading to a better understanding of metabolic changes related to synthesis of bioactive compounds such as anthocianins.