N-glycans are a class of biological compound that are chemically bound to proteins. They are generally stable to food processing and heating.
In this paper (open access) the authors investigated how N-glycans varied amongst three different fish species; red snapper, barramundi (Asian Sea Bass) and the potentially cheaper adulterant, tilapia. They measured N-glycan profiles using liquid chromatography with ion mobility and mass spectrometry (LC-IM-MS). They identified four N-glycan structures containing different degrees of O-acetylated sialic acids (O-Ac-Sias) as species-specific markers and found clear clustering based on their percentage abundance. This enabled a multi-class species classification model. They found that this clustering and classification model remained valid even after the fish had been cooked and processed.
They conclude that this approach could complement DNA testing when looking at heavily processed or manufactured food.
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