A preliminary matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight approach for the characterization of Italian lentil varieties

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) was used in this study to obtain protein fingerprints of seven different lentil varieties, to characterize their differences and similarities. Two different matrices have been tested in order to obtain reproducible and significant mass spectra. Extraction with water containing 0.1% of trifluoroacetic acid has been used as preparative step to obtain hydrophilic protein samples of lentil seeds. The obtained MALDI protein profiles identified clear differences between the seven studied lentil varieties. Moreover, considering the high complexity of the obtained MALDI spectra, multivariate techniques of data analysis were employed to find further classification details. These multivariate analyses confirmed the possibility of a clear classification of the seven lentil varieties, indicating that the proposed procedure can be a valid taxonomic tool, and a method to certify the origin of lentils, useful for high added value lentils (Italian lentils).