Contract Research Organization (CRO) Triskelion has developed a validated LC-MS method for the species-specific determination of gelatin. Recently published in Food Chemistry, the TrustGel method reliably detects porcine and bovine constituents in gelatin with a high sensitivity. Using TrustGel, species authenticity of gelatin can be demonstrated unambiguously.

Commercial gelatins are often produced from bovine and porcine skin and bone and consist mainly of partially hydrolyzed collagen type 1. Over the past years, manufacturers have put a lot of efforts in the traceability of raw materials used for the production of gelatin. 

Techniques such as PCR and ELISA are commonly used for tracing these raw materials. However, false-positive and negative results, inconsistencies and low reactivity of commercially available kits have been observed with regard to these methods.

With TrustGel, gelatin manufacturers and their clients can now determine the purity of gelatin batches with regard to bovine and porcine constituents with a lower detection level of 0.05 percent, according to Triskelion. 

TrustGel utilizes stable isotope labeled internal standard peptides to obtain acceptable and accountable method performance on the single sample level. Calibration samples are prepared using pure reference gelatins and are subjected to the same sample preparation procedure as study samples. 

The method thus applies a combined internal standardization approach, which inherently corrects for analytical variations during sample preparation. 

The validation experimental setup was based on FDA and EMA guidelines for bioanalytical method validation and performed according to Good Laboratory Practice, ensuring the scientific quality, traceability and data integrity.

Rousselot initiated the project with Triskelion and supported the development of the method. Gelatin testing services based on TrustGel are commercially available and provided by Triskelion.