Creative Proteomics' Food Multi-Omics Solutions deliver end-to-end multi-omics and targeted analyses—genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, natural-product profiling plus validated assays for vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and flavonoids—so you can quickly verify ingredient authenticity, quantify nutritional and bioactive content, monitor processing/fermentation and shelf-life changes, and produce regulatory-ready, action-oriented reports for R&D and CRO projects.
Introduction
Food quality, safety, and nutritional value are critical priorities for researchers and the food industry. Traditional testing methods, while valuable, often offer only partial information and fail to capture the full molecular complexity of food systems. This limitation has driven the growth of food omics. This field applies advanced, high-throughput molecular technologies to analyze food's chemical, nutritional, and biological makeup in greater detail.
Food omics provides a comprehensive approach by integrating multiple analytical disciplines, including proteomics (study of proteins and peptides), metabolomics (analysis of small molecules and metabolites), lipidomics (profiling of lipids and fatty acids), peptidomics (characterization of bioactive peptides), and natural product profiling (detection of plant- or microbe-derived compounds). Together, these methods create a holistic molecular map of food.
One of the strengths of food omics is its ability to examine food composition and trace how it changes across different stages, such as processing, storage, and digestion. For example, proteomic analysis can reveal how heating affects protein structure and digestibility, while metabolomics can identify subtle chemical changes that influence flavor or nutritional value. Lipidomics and peptidomics, in turn, provide insight into components that impact health outcomes, such as essential fatty acids or bioactive peptides with antioxidant or antimicrobial properties.
Fig 1. Schematic representation of the omics technologies and areas of food science covered by Foodomics (Valdes A, et al., 2021).
Technical Workflow for Food Multi-Omics Analysis
Technical Advantages of Our Food Multi-Omics Analysis
- Comprehensive and Targeted Integration: Simultaneously supports broad-spectrum molecular profiling and focused compound quantification.
- High Sensitivity and Precision: Using advanced LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, NMR, and HPLC techniques, we deliver highly accurate results even for trace-level compounds.
- Customizable Analytical Solutions: Flexible workflows tailored to project-specific goals, food matrices, and regulatory requirements.
- Scalable Capabilities: Supporting projects ranging from small-scale exploratory studies to large, multi-institutional research collaborations.
Multi-Omics Analysis Service We Provide
Comprehensive Multi-Omics Profiling
- Genomics: Identification of food-related genes for quality, origin, and trait analysis.
- Transcriptomics: Profiling gene expression patterns to reveal biological processes affecting nutritional quality and food safety.
- Proteomics: In-depth characterization of proteins and peptides to understand structure, modifications, and bioactivity.
- Metabolomics: Global profiling of small molecules and metabolites for nutritional, functional, and safety insights.
Targeted Compound Analysis
- Vitamins and minerals
- Fatty acids and lipid species
- Flavonoids and polyphenols
- Other functional bioactives
Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Preprocessing and quality filtering: Peak picking, retention alignment, normalization, and QC-based filtering to ensure data integrity.
- Identification and annotation: Use spectral libraries, accurate mass, retention indices, and fragmentation patterns to assign compound identities. Where necessary, structural confirmation is supported by NMR or reference standards.
- Quantitation and calibration: Absolute or relative quantitation is provided using appropriate internal standards and calibration curves.
- Statistical analysis and visualization: Apply univariate tests, multivariate analyses, clustering, and time-series models to highlight discriminatory features and trends.
- Pathway and enrichment analysis: Map altered metabolites and proteins to metabolic pathways and functional categories for biological interpretation and hypothesis generation.
- Advanced modeling: When supported by study design and sample size, provide machine-learning models for classification, prediction, or biomarker selection.
Application for Food Multi-Omics Analysis
- Raw Material and Quality Control: Ensuring ingredient authenticity and consistency.
- Food Processing and Fermentation: Monitoring molecular transformations during production.
- Storage and Preservation: Studying compositional changes influencing shelf life and stability.
- Food Safety and Contamination: Detecting adulterants, toxins, allergens, and contaminants.
- Nutritional and Functional Food Development: Identifying bioactive compounds for health-promoting products.
- Drug-Nutrition Interaction Research: Supporting pharma and biomedical studies on food-derived bioactive molecules.
Sample Requirements (Recommended)
| Parameter | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Type | Solid or liquid food materials, raw or processed products | Include representative portions of the batch or product for accurate analysis |
| Sample Quantity | Solids: 1-2 g Liquids: 5-10 mL |
Quantity may vary depending on the omics workflow (proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics) |
| Storage Conditions | Freeze at -80°C | Avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles to prevent degradation |
| Container Specifications | Sterile, sealed, and labeled appropriately | Ensure containers are compatible with shipping and sample type |
Why Choose Creative Proteomics
- Advanced Instrumentation: Cutting-edge LC-MS/MS, NMR, and multi-omics platforms.
- Comprehensive Service Portfolio: From global profiling to targeted compound analysis.
- Expert Scientific Support: Customized project design and data interpretation.
- High-Quality Reporting: Accurate, reproducible, and publication-ready deliverables.
- Flexible and Scalable Solutions: Supporting exploratory studies, regulatory testing, and industrial applications.
References
- Valdés A, et al. Foodomics: Analytical opportunities and challenges. Analytical Chemistry, 2021, 94(1): 366-381.
- Okoye C O, et al. Redefining modern food analysis: Significance of omics analytical techniques integration, chemometrics and bioinformatics. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 2024, 175: 117706.
- Balkir P, Kemahlioglu K, Yucel U. Foodomics: A new approach in food quality and safety. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2021, 108: 49-57.
Comprehensive foodomics analysis reveals key lipids affect aroma generation in beef.
Journal: Food Chemistry
Impact factor: 9.8
Published: 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140954
Backgrounds
Beef flavor arises primarily from lipid-derived reactions during cooking, but the specific lipid molecular species that generate key aroma compounds have not been fully resolved. The study aimed to link precise lipid species to odor-active volatiles during the raw-to-cooked transition, using an integrated "foodomics" approach (volatilomics + lipidomics).
Materials & Methods
- Samples: Beef tissues (details in journal article).
- Volatile/aroma profiling: Gas chromatography–olfactometry–mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) to detect and rank odor-active compounds.
- Lipidomics: Absolute quantitative lipidomics to measure individual lipid species (e.g., triglycerides, phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines) across raw and thermally processed states.
- Integration: Correlated odor-active volatiles with quantified lipid species to identify lipid substrates/retainers implicated in aroma formation and retention after heating.
Results
- Aroma compounds: 18 key aroma compounds were identified as major contributors to beef aroma.
- Lipid coverage: 265 lipid molecules were quantified with absolute methods.
- Key lipid drivers: Triglycerides enriched in C18:1 and C18:2 chains and specific phospholipids were strongly implicated in generating key aroma compounds during heating.
- Substrate fatty acids: C18:1, C18:2, C18:3, and C20:4 emerged as principal substrates for aroma-forming reactions.
- Aroma retention: Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) species with unsaturated acyl chains likely act as aroma retainers, helping hold odorants in the cooked matrix.
Fig 2. Lipid profiles in HX and JX raw beef.
Fig 3. Lipid profiles of HX and JX beef before and after thermal processing.
Conclusions
An integrated foodomics workflow (GC-O-MS + absolute lipidomics) pinpointed specific triglyceride and phospholipid species that drive beef aroma formation and identified lysophospholipids that may retain key odorants post-cooking. These molecular insights help rationalize flavor development, guide processing strategies (e.g., manipulating lipid compositions), and support quality design in meat products.
How to choose between untargeted and targeted omics approaches for a food study?
Choose untargeted approaches for discovery—when the goal is to generate hypotheses, find novel biomarkers, or comprehensively profile unknown composition. Use targeted methods when you need precise, validated quantification of defined compounds (e.g., vitamins, specific toxins, fatty acids). Many projects benefit from a two-phase design: untargeted discovery followed by targeted validation.
How does foodomics aid in food traceability and quality control?
Metabolomics and proteomics tools are extensively used to evaluate food traceability—from farm to table—and assess processing effects. For example, LC-Orbitrap-MS has been used to distinguish microbial fermentation signatures in salami, while foodomics methods help trace geographic origin and detect adulterants in processed foods.
What kinds of food components can be analyzed using food omics?
Food omics covers a wide range of molecular targets, including:
- Proteins & peptides: Nutritional proteins, allergens, bioactive peptides
- Metabolites: Amino acids, sugars, organic acids, polyphenols, antioxidants
- Lipids & fatty acids: Omega-3, omega-6, phospholipids, triglycerides
- Vitamins & minerals: Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, essential trace elements
- Natural compounds: Alkaloids, flavonoids, carotenoids, saponins
- Contaminants: Pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins
What reference materials or standards are recommended for method benchmarking ?
Use certified reference materials when available, matrix-matched standards, and commercially available standard mixes for lipids, amino acids, and vitamins. Create in-house pooled reference materials for long-term performance tracking.
Demo: Honey phenolic compound profiling and authenticity assessment using HRMS targeted and untargeted metabolomics
Combined targeted and untargeted HRMS metabolomics to profile phenolic compounds across multiple unifloral honeys and to identify geographical/origin markers — demonstrates targeted + untargeted workflows in the same study.
Fig 4. Identification for abscisic acid isomers (Koulis G.A., et al., 2021).
Fig 5. Identification of quinic acid through non-target screening (Koulis G.A., et al., 2021).