Application and prospect of metabolomics-related technologies in food inspection

Food inspection covers a broad range of topics, including nutrient analysis, food pollutants, food auxiliary materials, additives, and food sensory identification. The foundation of diverse subjects like food science, nutrition, health research, and the food industry, as well as the desired reference for drafting trade and food legislation, makes food inspection highly significant. Because of their high efficiency, sensitivity, and accuracy, instrumental analysis methods have gradually replaced conventional analytical methods as the primary means of food hygiene inspection. Metabolomics-based analysis technology, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (CE-MS), has become a widely used analytics platform. This research provides a bird's eye view of the application and future of metabolomics-related technologies in food inspection. We have provided a summary of the features and the application range of various metabolomics techniques, the strengths and weaknesses of different metabolomics platforms, and their implementation in specific inspection procedures. These procedures encompass the identification of endogenous metabolites, the detection of exogenous toxins and food additives, analysis of metabolite alterations during processing and storage, as well as the recognition of food adulteration. Despite the widespread utilization and significant contributions of metabolomics-based food inspection technologies, numerous challenges persist as the food industry advances and technology continues to improve. Thus, we anticipate addressing these potential issues in the future.