Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory
Project Number: 8040-10700-004-022-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: Aug 30, 2027
Objective:
The determination of complex carbohydrates in foods is crucial to human health and the health of the gut microbiome. Alternative protein sources are crucial to food security and maintaining world health. This project will:
1. Analyze raw and processed commodity foods to obtain a comprehensive glycomic and glycoproteomic maps of the foods.
2. Investigate alternative protein sources and their interaction with carbohydrates in plants.
3. Obtain and compare the glycomic and proteomic variations among different varieties of raw foods (e.g. rice, potato, corn, legumes, fruits).
4. Determine the effects of processing methods on glycomic and proteomic maps of foods (e.g. various forms of corn such as flour, tortilla, corn syrup, cornbread, or boiled corn).
5. Relate glycomic and proteomic maps to source of food (e.g. farm, field management procedures, harvesting, climate, soil).
Approach:
Foods in different forms will be analyzed with the most advanced glycomic and glycoproteomic profiling tools. The analysis involves comprehensive glycomic and proteomic profiling employing advanced separations methods including nanoflow and microflow liquid chromatography and a host of mass spectrometry platforms including quadrupole time of flight (QTOF), triple quadrupole (QQQ), and Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS-orbitrap).
Glycomic platform: Carbohydrates analysis will be performed to determine the free monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharide compositions of the foods. To determine free monosaccharides and disaccharides, the compounds will be tagged with a mass sensitive label to enhance ionization allowing liquid-chromatography – mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Free oligosaccharides will be analyzed directly, with purification, by LC-MS to obtain the profile of the various polymeric species. Polysaccharide analysis will be performed using an oxidative method for degrading polymers that yield glycan signatures that are used to identify the parent polysaccharide.
