Accurate β-Casein Allergen Quantification in Processed Foods via an Isotope-Labeled Full-Length Protein Internal Standard.

Authors

Yige Wu, Qibin Liang, Rui Chang, Yizhu Chen, Chuncai Liang, Wenkai Cao, Xuan Wu, Sai Fan, Bing Shao, Hui Li

Published in

Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. Volume 74. Issue 41. Pages 32677-32686. Oct 21, 2026.

Abstract

Accurate quantification of cow's milk allergens in processed foods by UPLC-MS/MS is challenged by enzymatic digestion variability and complex matrix effects. β-Casein, a major milk allergen, requires reliable quantification. Herein, we developed a novel method for quantifying bovine β-casein using a recombinant, isotope-labeled, full-length protein (β-casein-I) as an internal standard. With a high isotopic labeling rate and sequence homology to the native analyte, β-casein-I corrects errors from digestion, sample preparation, and MS analysis. The validated method showed excellent linearity from 0.1 to 50 ng/mL. In three processed food matrices, mean recoveries were 89-116% with RSD < 13% at three spiking levels, and LODs were 0.2-0.5 μg/g. Specificity was ensured by simultaneous monitoring of two signature peptides, minimizing false positives from cross-reactivity with goat milk. β-Casein was detected in all 11 commercial samples analyzed. This study provides an accurate, reliable approach for milk allergen quantification, significantly advancing traditional peptide-based methods.

PMID:
42905000
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.