Metabolomic approaches applied to food authentication: from data acquisition to biomarkers discovery

Abstract Food adulteration is an age-old issue and a concomitant phenomenon of the global food market. The assessment of food authenticity constitutes a powerful tool to mitigate this problem and protect the global interest. However, the increasing refinement of fraudulent practices requires a continuous update and enhancement of the analytical methodologies. In this context, the so-called “metabolomic approaches” are currently offering high chances in food authentication. These strategies commonly apply advanced analytical technologies together with chemometric tools to analyze a large number of samples with minimal time consumption and to identify useful biomarkers of food authenticity. In the current contribution, after contextualizing the chapter, the general workflow (and each one of its successive steps) for the application of metabolomic approaches in the field of food authentication and traceability is described. Likewise, interesting examples to illustrate the application of metabolomic strategies for the authentication of different kinds of foodstuffs are given. Particular attention is paid to some recent relevant reports (not intending to typify an exhaustive review or reaching a complete coverage of a particular food category), as well as the main future challenges and perspectives.