ABSTRACT
Authentication and traceability are essential tools for controlling food quality and safety. The flow injection analysis (FIA) system offers interesting advantages such as versatility, flexibility, accuracy, and suitability for the fast, routine analysis of a large number of samples with high precision. Besides the optimization of hydrodynamic conditions for the determination in FIA systems, on-line sample processing or on-line sample cleanup are essential factors for proper selection and optimization of chemical conditions of determinations. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful analytical tool for the identification of compounds. The coupling of FIA and MS is a combined technique (FIA-MS) which can be used to separate and identify complex mixtures, and to mechanize sampling and on-line sample processing, which makes for very simple, fast, easy, and high performance analysis. FIA-MS is recognized as a suitable technique for applications where quantitative fingerprinting and screening of chemicals need to be performed rapidly and reliably.
