Validation of rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) for prediction of beef tenderness

快速蒸发电离质谱仪(REMS)是一项来自人类医学的新技术，它是从iKnife开发的，iKnife是一种医疗切割工具，可以在切割组织时烧灼组织。在烧灼过程中，生物挥发物被释放并被吸入REIMS系统，挥发性分子通过飞行时间(TOF)质谱仪进行识别和定量。基于REMS的组织分析通常只需要几秒钟，并且可以提供90%-98%的组织学组织识别准确率。REMS分析通过实时电离生物样品提供现场分子信息，无需任何样品准备，操作员在几秒钟内就能获得高精度的质谱图。利用已知成分的样品的质谱图，可以开发模型来预测和分类感兴趣的组织。REMS在肉类工业中的最新应用包括品种鉴定、风味预测和残留检测。产生的分子特征可能被用来预测牛肉的成分、食用质量和新鲜度。这项研究将检验这项技术预测牛肉胶原蛋白特征并最终预测牛肉嫩度的能力，作为开发在线工厂系统的一部分，该系统将牛肉分类，反映加工和食用质量的切实差异。作为这项研究的结果，嘉吉等牛肉加工商将能够将牛肉分配到适当的价值，使其获得最佳价值，从而实现产品收入的最大化。

Rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) is a new technology emerging from human medicine that was developed from the iKnife, a medical cutting tool that cauterizes tissue as it cuts. During cauterization, biological volatiles are released and drawn into the REIMS system, with volatile molecules identified and quantified using time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry. REIMS-based tissue analysis generally takes only a few seconds and can provide histological tissue identification with 90-98% accuracy. REIMS profiling provides in situ molecular information by ionizing biological samples in real-time without any sample preparation and the operator is provided with a highly accurate mass spectrum within seconds. Using mass spectra from samples of known composition, models can be developed to predict and classify the tissue of interest. Recent application of REIMS in the meat industry include species authentication, flavour prediction, and residue testing. The molecular signatures produced potentially can be used to predict beef composition, eating quality, and freshness. This research will examine the ability of this technology to predict beef collagen characteristics and ultimately beef tenderness as part of developing an on-line in-plant system to sort beef into categories reflecting tangible differences in processing and eating quality. As a result of this research, beef processors such as Cargill will be able to allocate beef to the appropriate value so that it is optimally valued, thus maximising product revenue.