BOOK OF ABSTRACTS - 8th International Symposium on RECENT ADVANCES IN FOOD ANALYSIS (RAFA)

Significance of the Theme

The 8th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis brought together leading experts to address critical challenges in food safety, authenticity and quality. In an era of globalized supply chains, rapid advances in analytical chemistry are crucial to protect public health, ensure regulatory compliance and combat food fraud. The symposium highlighted innovative methodologies poised to transform routine testing, from high-throughput screening to advanced omics and portable sensing technologies.

Objectives and Overview of the Symposium

This four-day event, held in Prague in November 2017, featured vendor seminars, plenary lectures and poster sessions. Key aims included:

• Exchanging state-of-the-art analytical strategies for contaminants, natural toxins and residues.
• Showcasing targeted and non-targeted approaches for food authenticity and metabolomics.
• Discussing regulatory and risk assessment perspectives to align analytical capabilities with evolving EU and global policies.
• Fostering collaborations across academia, industry and government reference laboratories.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Diverse instrumental platforms were demonstrated, including:

• Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with triple quadrupole and high-resolution QTOF/Orbitrap analyzers.
• Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) hyphenated to high-resolution time-of-flight MS.
• Supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with MS for non-polar contaminants.
• Ion mobility spectrometry for rapid separation of isomers.
• Ambient ionization techniques (DESI, DART, REIMS) for direct sampling and high-throughput screening.
• Optical and spectroscopic sensors, including near-infrared, Raman and fluorescence imaging for on-site authenticity checks.
• Advanced sample preparation workflows such as QuEChERS, molecularly imprinted polymers, sorbent extraction and automated microextraction.

Main Results and Discussion

Presentations illustrated significant improvements in sensitivity, selectivity and throughput. Key highlights included rapid multi-residue pesticide screens at sub-ppb levels, non-targeted metabolomic fingerprinting to detect adulteration in olive oil, honey and dairy, and LC-MS workflows for emerging mycotoxins and polar pesticides. Reference laboratories reported harmonization efforts, proficiency testing outcomes and the adoption of standardized protocols under EU mandates. Environmental contaminants like PFAS and mineral oil hydrocarbons were tracked using high-resolution MS, demonstrating the feasibility of non-targeted screening for non-regulated substances.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The showcased methods offer laboratories robust tools to meet stringent detection limits, reduce analysis time and expand the scope of detectable analytes. Automated sample preparation and software-driven workflows enable routine high-throughput testing in QA/QC and regulatory settings. Portable sensors and ambient MS interfaces pave the way for in-field screening, empowering producers and inspectors to rapidly verify product authenticity and safety at multiple points along the supply chain.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Emerging directions include integrating multi-omics data and chemometrics for predictive food integrity models, expanding non-targeted HRMS libraries, and deploying Internet-enabled sensors for real-time monitoring. Advances in ion mobility and micro-fluidic lab-on-a-disc platforms will further miniaturize analytical capabilities. The trend toward open-source software and shared reference databases promises to democratize method development, particularly benefitting developing regions.

Conclusion

The symposium underscored the rapid evolution of food analytical chemistry and its pivotal role in safeguarding consumer health and market confidence. Collaboration between instrument vendors, method developers and regulatory bodies is key to translating novel technologies into standardized, high-throughput solutions. Continued investment in harmonization, training and interlaboratory studies will ensure reliable implementation of cutting-edge methodologies across global food control networks.

Reference

No specific literature references were provided in the source document.