Untargeted UHPLC-HRMS Based Metabolomics for Authentication of Chicken Meat Supplied by Different Slaughter Methods of Halal, Non-Halal and Shubha

Abstract

To protect consumers from non-halal and shubha-halal foods, it is essential to authenticate chicken meat based on its slaughtering process. The objective of the present study is to authenticate the halalness of chicken meat based on the slaughter process. Untargeted metabolomics, utilizing UHPLC-HRMS combined with chemometrics, offers a selective and accurate method for verifying the halal status of chicken meat based on the slaughter process. This approach identified 29 metabolite profiles, with creatine, carnosine, and 3-methylhistidine being the most prominent metabolites. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) clearly distinguished the metabolic profiles of chicken meat slaughtered using different methods. Additionally, cluster analysis effectively grouped chicken meat based on similarities in metabolite profiles. The correlation network revealed that 21 types of metabolites are interrelated in the halal authentication process. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) accurately identified 13 potential biomarkers for halal authentication, including creatine, betaine, 2-amino-1,3,4-octadecanetriol, L-isoleucine, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-glutamic acid, L-glutathione, DL-glutamine, taurine, carnosine, and acetyl-L-carnitine. Overall, untargeted metabolomics combined with UHPLC-HRMS and chemometrics represents a promising method for authenticating the halal status of chicken meat, distinguishing between halal, non-halal, shubha-halal, and mixtures of halal with non-halal or shubha-halal meat.