title: According to the CPLL proteome sheriffs, not all aperitifs are created equal!
abstract: Combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLLs) have been adopted for investigating the proteome of a popular aperitif in Northern Italy, called "Amaro Branzi", stated to be an infusion of a secret herbal mixture, of which some ingredients are declared on the label, namely Angelica officinalis, Gentiana lutea and orange peel, sweetened by a final addition of honey. In order to assess the genuineness of this commercial liqueur, we have prepared extracts of the three vegetable ingredients, assessed their proteomes, and compared them to the one found in the aperitif. The amaro's proteome was identified via prior capture with CPLLs at two different pH values (2.2 and 4.8). Via mass spectrometry analysis of the recovered fractions, after elution of the captured populations in 4% boiling SDS, we could confirm the presence of the following: six proteins originating from honey, 11 from orange peels, 29 from G. lutea and 46 from A. officinalis (including shared species), plus 33 species which could not be attributed to the other secret ingredients, due to paucity of genomic data on plant proteins, for a total of 93 unique gene products (merging shared proteins). This fully confirmed the genuineness of the product. Considering that most of these species could be present in trace amounts, undetectable by conventional techniques, the CPLL methodology, due to its ability to enhance the signal of trace components up to 3 to 4 orders of magnitude, could represent a powerful tool for investigating the genuineness and natural origin of commercial beverages in order to protect consumers from adulterated products.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lerma-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonsina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Amato
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fasoli
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
authors.forename: Ernesto Francisco
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Simó-Alfonso
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: piergiorgio.righetti@polimi.it.
authors.forename: Pier Giorgio
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Righetti
mesh_terms: D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D029969:Angelica / Q000737:chemistry*; D032084:Citrus sinensis / Q000737:chemistry*; D005638:Fruit; D030012:Gentiana / Q000737:chemistry*; D006722:Honey / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D019151:Peptide Library; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020543:Proteome / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D019151:Peptide Library; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010940:Plant Proteins; D020543:Proteome
keywords: Angelica officinalis; Aperitifs; Combinatorial peptide ligand libraries; Gentiana lutea; Low abundance proteome; Mass spectrometry