Gas chromatography

This chapter provides a survey about state-of-the-art, technology and instrumental solutions for gas chromatography applied to food chemical characterization; cutting-edge applications; future trends are also presented. The aim is to deal with some of the most recent innovations on: (a) column technology as new generations of stationary phases and miniaturization; (b) multidimensional platforms combining liquid chromatography to gas chromatography for samples pre-fractionation and in-depth characterization; (c) comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography as the most recent and straightforward technological aldvancement of GC. The role of mass spectrometric detection is also discussed in terms of information provided for confident analytes identification and profiling potentials while the high-resolution mass spectrometry and hard- and soft ionization options are reviewed for their relevance in food quality assessment and safety.