Current advances and challenges of mass spectrometry for studying Staphylococcal enterotoxins: a food safety perspective

Staphylococcal food poisoning outbreak (SFPO) prevention and monitoring of emerging enterotoxins from coagulase-positive Staphylococcus require rapid, reliable detection. Molecular approaches such as Whole Genome Sequencing identifies enterotoxin genes, but they cannot confirm the protein expression. Immunoassays (ELISA or commercial kits) offer sensitivity and still face limitations in multiplexing, antibody dependency, and matrix effects. Mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as a promising tool, enabling multiplex detection, semi-quantification, and structural analysis of both classical and emerging enterotoxins. However, MS still encounters challenges in food matrices, including complex sample preparation, high costs, and the absence of standardized international protocols. This review explores current MS applications and limitations for SE detection, highlighting its potential role in food safety surveillance within the One Health framework. Emphasis is placed on sample preparation advances, remaining analytical barriers, and the need for harmonized methods to support outbreak investigations.