From Peak to Plate: Expert Insights in Food Analysis

Welcome to “Peak to Plate: Expert Insights in Food Analysis.”

As part of this series, LCGC International has sat down with the people working at the cutting edge of chromatography in food analysis. Happy reading!

GC–MS Insights into Food Packaging Safety
Ana Rodríguez-Bernaldo de Quirós of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) discusses how non-targeted gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) can reveal complex chemical mixtures in bioplastic food packaging, raising important safety questions and concerns for consumers.¹

Microwave-Assisted Saponification Conditions for MOH in Fats and Oils: An Update
Giorgia Purcaro from the University of Liege (Belgium) discusses a superior laboratory technique for more accurately detecting harmful oil contaminants in edible oils than the current official method.²

Exploring the Limits of Mycotoxin Analysis
Lidija Kenjerić from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Vienna, Austria) describes a method where 931 food toxins in muesli are tested within 11 minutes using one injection, meeting EU safety rules.³

GC-MS and LC-MS Profiling Links Lager Chemistry to Craft Beer Consumer Preference
Devin Peterson of The Ohio State University discusses how gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) identify volatile and nonvolatile flavor drivers shaping lager liking among high-flavor-preference consumers.⁴

Rethinking Food Testing with Dried Spot Microsampling
LCGC International spoke to Maria Halabalaki, an associate professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, about how dried spot microsampling could transform food testing.⁵

Chromatography-Driven Non-Thermal Debittering Improves Orange Juice Quality
A chromatography-based, non-heat process removes bitterness from orange juice while preserving its flavor and nutrients. LCGC International spoke to Araceli Rivera‑Pérez (University of Almeria, Spain), lead author of the paper that resulted from its development.⁶

Peter Tranchida on Cryogenic Band Compression in Food Analysis
Peter Tranchida (University of Messina, Italy) explains how cryogenic band compression and GC×GC boost sensitivity while reducing sample preparation demands in complex food analyses.⁷

Food Exposomics and Chromatographic Strategies for Multi-Mycotoxin Detection in the Food Chain
Chromatographic mega-methods screen multiple mycotoxins, advancing food exposomics and public safety. Maykel Hernández Mesa and Ana Maria García-Campaña of the University of Granada explain how.⁸

Technology Spotlight: Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) — A Sustainable Sample Preparation Tool for Food Analysis
Laura Carbonell-Rozas, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Granada (Spain), discusses the potential of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) in food analysis as sustainable solvents in sample preparation.⁹

Food Chromatography Approaches for Mineral Oil Hydrocarbon Analysis
We spoke with researchers who used liquid chromatography-gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization detection (LC–GC–FID) to detect carcinogenic MOH contaminants across food matrices.¹⁰

RAFA 2026 Preview: Food For Thought
RAFA 2026 in Prague, Nov 3–6, promises cutting-edge food analysis insights for separation scientists. Stefan van Leeuwen from the Wageningen Food Safety Research (Wageningen, The Netherlands) and Jana Pulkrabova (UCT Prague, Prague, Czech Republic) preview the event.¹¹

References

1. Rodríguez-Bernaldo de Quirós, A.; Jones, K. GC–MS Insights into Food Packaging Safety. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/gc-ms-insights-into-food-packaging-safety (accessed 2026-06-15).
2. Purcaro, G.; Matheson, A. Microwave-Assisted Saponification Conditions for MOH in Fats and Oils: An Update. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/microwave-assisted-saponification-conditions-for-moh-in-fats-and-oils-an-update (accessed 2026-06-15).
3. Kenjerić, L.; Matheson, A. Exploring the Limits of Mycotoxin Analysis. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/exploring-the-limits-of-mycotoxin-analysis (accessed 2026-06-15).
4. Peterson, D.; Chasse, J. GC–MS and LC–MS Profiling Links Lager Chemistry to Craft Beer Consumer Preference. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/gc-ms-and-lc-ms-profiling-links-lager-chemistry-to-craft-beer-consumer-preference (accessed 2026-06-15). 
5. Halabalaki, M.; Jones, K. Rethinking Food Testing with Dried Spot Microsampling. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/rethinking-food-testing-with-dried-spot-microsampling(accessed 2026-06-15).
6. Rivera‑Pérez, A.; Chasse, J. Chromatography-Driven Non-Thermal Debittering Improves Orange Juice Quality. LCGC International website.https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/chromatography-driven-non-thermal-debittering-improves-orange-juice-quality (accessed 2026-06-09).
7. Tranchida, P. Q.; Jones, K. Peter Tranchida on Cryogenic Band Compression in Food Analysis. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/peter-tranchida-on-cryogenic-band-compression-in-food-analysis (accessed 2026-06-09)
8. Hernández Mesa, M.; García-Campaña, A. M.; Chasse, J. Food Exposomics and Chromatographic Strategies for Multi-Mycotoxin Detection in the Food Chain. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/food-exposomics-and-chromatographic-strategies-for-multi-mycotoxin-detection-in-the-food-chain (accessed 2026-06-15).
9. Matheson, A. Technology Spotlight: Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) — A Sustainable Sample Preparation Tool for Food Analysis. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/technology-spotlight-natural-deep-eutectic-solvents-nades-a-sustainable-sample-preparation-tool-for-food-analysis (accessed 2026-06-09)
10. Jano, A.; Ares, A. M.; Santos Costa, F. et al. Food Chromatography Approaches for Mineral Oil Hydrocarbon Analysis. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/food-chromatography-approaches-mineral-oil-hydrocarbon-analysis (accessed 2026-06-15). 
11. van Leeuwen, S.; Pulkrabova, J.; Matheson, A. RAFA 2026 Preview: Food For Thought. LCGC International website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/rafa-2026-preview-food-for-thought (accessed 2026-06-15).