Francesco Cacciola

In this extended special feature to celebrate the 35th anniversary edition of LCGC Europe, key opinion leaders from the separation science community explore contemporary trends in separation science and identify possible future developments.

Food products are very complex mixtures containing organic and inorganic nutrients, and also xenobiotic substances that can derive from technological processes, agrochemical treatments, or packaging materials, including residues of pesticides, drugs, and toxins.

Carotenoids are a class of natural pigments, widely distributed in vegetables and fruits. A comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) method, based on the use of a cyano and an octodecylsilica column, placed in the first and second dimension, respectively, was applied to evaluate carotenoid composition and stability in selected overripe fruits representing the waste generated by a local food market. This research also evaluates if post-climacteric biochemical changes are linked to carotenoid degradation in the investigated fruits. A total of 22 compounds was separated into seven different chemical classes in the two-dimensional space, and identified by photodiode array (PDA) and mass spectrometry (MS) detection. The results prove that the waste generated by the large distribution of food still represent an important source of bioactives that could be used for other purposes.

Carotenoids are a class of natural pigments, widely distributed in vegetables and fruits. A comprehensive LC×LC method, based on the use of a cyano and an octodecylsilica column, placed in the first and second dimension, respectively, was applied to evaluate carotenoid composition and stability in selected overripe fruits representing the waste generated by a local food market.

This review illustrates the benefits of LC?C in food analysis and discusses the combination of LC modes used in the two dimensions, and the nature of the samples analyzed.

A novel system for fully automated comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography is presented.

The complexity of many food samples places a great demand in terms of both separation capabilities and specificity of detection. In this article, a novel system for fully automated comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC?LC) is discussed.

In this review, the most recent LC–MS approaches are discussed, as well as the technical requirements for linking an LC system to a mass spectrometer. The advantages of on-line 2DLC in the "comprehensive" mode are also illustrated and selected applications for the analysis of common foodstuffs, such as triacylglycerols, carotenoids and polyphenols, are described. Finally, future trends for LC–MS in food analysis are reported.