Technology Spotlight: Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) — A Sustainable Sample Preparation Tool for Food Analysis

Sustainability is rapidly becoming a defining priority in analytical chemistry, particularly in the field of food analysis, where safety, quality, and environmental responsibility must coexist. Traditional organic solvents—though effective—pose challenges related to toxicity, volatility, and waste generation. In response, researchers are increasingly turning to natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) as a sustainable, high-performance alternative. Formed from natural, biodegradable components such as sugars, organic acids, and amino acids, NADES offer tunable physicochemical properties ideally suited for extracting and analyzing complex food matrices (1).

The application of NADES in food analysis is especially compelling (2–10). Their ability to selectively solubilize diverse analytes—from phenolic compounds and vitamins to pesticide residues and mycotoxins—makes them an attractive replacement for conventional solvents in sample preparation and extraction. Beyond their green credentials, NADES can enhance recovery, improve selectivity, and reduce matrix interferences when coupled with chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. These benefits open new possibilities for developing safer, cleaner, and more efficient workflows that support both analytical rigor and sustainability.

In this LCGC International interview, Laura Carbonell-Rozas, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Granada (Granada, Spain), shares insights into how NADES could benefit food analysts in practice. Carbonell-Rozas discusses current research efforts, practical laboratory applications, and the technical challenges that must be addressed to enable broader implementation of NADES.

References

(1) Cannavacciuolo, C.; Pagliari, S.; Frigerio, J.; et al. Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) Combined with Sustainable Extraction Techniques: A Review of the Green Chemistry Approach in Food Analysis. Foods 2023, 12 (1), 56. DOI: 10.3390/foods12010056
(2) Paiva, A.; Craveiro, R.; Aroso, I.; et al. Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents—Solvents for the 21st Century. Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2014, 2 (5), 1063–1071. DOI: 10.1021/sc500096j
(3) Dai, Y.; Witkamp, G. J.; Verpoorte, R.; Choi, Y. H. Tailoring Properties of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents with Water to Facilitate Their Applications. Food Chem. 2015, 187, 14–19. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.03.123
(4) Fernández, M. A.; Boiteux, J.; Espino, M.; Gomez, F. J.; Silva, M. F. Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents-Mediated Extractions: The Way Forward for Sustainable Analytical Developments. Anal. Chim. Acta 2018, 1038, 1–10. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2018.07.059
(5) Carbonell-Rozas, L.; Canales, R.; Lara, F. J.; García-Campaña, A. M.; Silva, M. F. A Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent as a Novel Dispersive Solvent in Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Based on Solidification of Floating Organic Droplet for the Determination of Pesticide Residues. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2021, 413, 6413–6424. DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03605-z
(6) Carbonell-Rozas, L.; Ferrari, F.; Righetti, L.; Dall’Asta, C. NADES-Assisted Sample Preparation as a Greener Alternative for Mycotoxins Determination in Apple-Based Products. Microchem. J. 2023, 191, 108887. DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2023.108887
7. Mansour, F. R.; Bedair, A.; Hamed, M.; et al. Applications of (Natural) Deep Eutectic Solvents in Liquid Phase Microextraction: A Review. Microchem. J. 2024, 198, 110178. DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2024.110178
(8) Carbonell-Rozas, L.; Romero-González, R.; Garrido Frenich, A. Green and Miniaturized Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents to Extract Phenolic Compounds from Tea Samples. Adv. Sample Prep. 2024, 12, 100128. DOI: 10.1016/j.sampre.2024.100128
(9) Carbonell-Rozas, L.; Canales, R.; Romero-González, R.; Silva, M. F.; Garrido Frenich, A. Structural Characterization and Physicochemical Properties of Different Hydrophilic Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2025, 417, 183–197. DOI: 10.1 007/s00216-024-05636-8.
(10) Carmona-Molero, R.; Carbonell-Rozas, L.; Lara, F. J.; García-Campaña, A. M.; del Olmo-Iruela, M. A Greener Approach for Determining Cyanotoxins in Vegetables: From NADES-Air-Assisted Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction to Capillary Electrophoresis–Mass Spectrometry Analysis. Microchem. J. 2025, 218, 115244. DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2025.115244
(11) Carbonell-Rozas, L.; Capilla-Flores, R.; Romero-González, R.; Garrido Frenich, A. (Natural) Deep Eutectic Solvents in Food Safety: Innovations in Sample Preparation. Adv. Sample Prep. 2025, 14, 100188. DOI: 10.1016/j.sampre.2025.100188

Laura Carbonell Rozas is a postdoctoral researcher in the field of Green Analytical Chemistry, recently awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship for the GreenFOCUS project at Wageningen University & Research (The Netherlands). Her research focuses on developing innovative and sustainable analytical methodologies for detecting contaminants such as natural toxins and pesticides in environmental and food matrices. She integrates advanced analytical platforms with next-generation extraction solvents, particularly natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), to design sample preparation strategies aligned with Green Sample Preparation principles. Her work aims to improve food safety control systems while reducing their environmental footprint.