Advances in techniques for monitoring/detecting chemical contaminants in food: chromatography

Publication date: 31-01-2026
Extent: 44 pages

Contributions by: Merrik Kobarfard, Alexander Sweett and Tadeusz Górecki, University of Waterloo, Canada

Chapter synopsis:

The chapter focuses on the analytical applications of chromatography within the domain of food contaminant analysis. Gas chromatography (GC) is one of the most popular techniques for detecting volatile and semi-volatile food contaminants. One of the most significant developments in this area is multidimensional GC, which employs columns with varying polarities to enhance separation and peak capacity, particularly for compounds that elute within similar temperature ranges. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), especially in combination with mass spectrometry, broadens the scope of analytes that can be analyzed by chromatographic methods to non-volatile and very polar ones. The main advances in this area include the introduction of UHPLC systems in combination with small particle columns, as well as multidimensional methods. In spite of its simplicity, thin-layer chromatography can also be useful in the analysis of food contaminants. Finally, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) enjoys a renaissance in many areas, including food analysis.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2025.172.10