Comprehensive Two‐dimensional Chromatography: An Insight into the Analysis of Food and Food Products

Food chemistry is a branch of food science involved in the evaluation of the composition along with chemical, physical, and functional properties of foods and food products during their different processing stages and storage periods. Chromatographic methods are the most employed analytical techniques for their analysis. However, when a single chromatographic method is not sufficient for providing satisfactory results, more advanced and performant strategies need to be considered. In this regard, comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography, involving two different separation modes, turned out to be a powerful analytical strategy for the analysis of very complex food samples. This article aims to highlight how the hyphenation of two single separation systems could be a valuable tool for handling such complex samples. The first part deals with general considerations about the technique including the design of modulation interfaces, whereas in the second part selected applications to food analytes of interest, analyzed by both comprehensive two-dimensional liquid and gas chromatography, are reported and discussed.