Untargeted metabolite profiling of abalone using gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Abstract

Abalone meat is a delicacy worldwide, fetching high prices and a valuable source of income for the many countries farming and exporting this commodity. The quality of abalone is based on its unique sensory properties and an analytical metabolomics method for determining the compounds related to this would serve as a valuable tool for ensuring quality and consumer satisfaction. Metabolomics is a promising “omics” tool which can be applied towards this goal; however, widely applicable parameters for the evaluation of an untargeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomic approach is still lacking. GC-MS is a popular and suitable metabolomics method due to its high separation power, reproducible retention times, and selective mass detection. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable untargeted GC-MS method for analyzing firstly a standard compound mixture consisting of 10 compounds representing various compound classes and secondly applying the method in an untargeted manner to abalone muscle samples. Using a standard compound mixture with a concentration range of 1 to 100 μg/mL, the limit of detection (LOD) ranged between 0.01 and 3.30 μg/mL, the limit of quantification (LOQ) resulted in values between 0.02 and 9.49 μg/mL, the accuracy determined was <1.5 μg/mL, and the precision displayed a coefficient of variance (CV) <25 %. When evaluating the method in terms of biological samples harvested, the repeatability and intermediate precision showed CV values <50 % for most compounds measured, allowing application of this method for metabolite profiling of abalone to answer important biological questions