MALDI-TOF MS identification and tracking of food spoilers and food-borne pathogens

Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is an established tool for identification of clinical relevant pathogens. MALDI-TOF MS is increasingly accepted as a molecular characterization tool and method for identification of genera, species and isolates of food spoilers and food-borne pathogens in the complex food chain from origin via producers and traders to the consumers. By virtue of its robustness, ease to use, cost per sample, sample throughput MALDI-TOF MS enables tracking and tracing of large sample amounts of food related microbial isolates. Although, food spoiler and foodborne pathogen spectra are underrepresented in commercial available databases the number of entries is rapidly expanding. Instrumental developments such as tandem mass spectrometry with MALDI-TOF/TOF MS instruments enable proteomics approaches for identification of strain specific biomarkers. Multivariate statistics is used to differentiate between spectra of isolates and to correlate clusters to phenotypes. It is envisaged that molecular identification through MALDI-TOF MS will develop into an indispensable tool for tracking and tracing of food spoiling and food-borne pathogenic strains and isolates.