Liquid Chromatography in the Food Industry: Impacts and Applications
In 2025, the global market value of the food industry amounts to almost USD $9.7 trillion. The US alone makes up over USD $850 billion of the global revenue, one of the largest in the world. With market growth steadily increasing more than 6% annually (CAGR 2025-2029), the pressure on agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing businesses to produce and provide billions with safe food is only expected to rise. Even small changes in population, climate, infrastructure, or the economy can surmount major challenges for supply chains, making food shortages and surplus a never-ending balancing act with complex consequences. Despite nearly 35 million Americans facing food insecurity, 120 billion pounds in the US are wasted every year. Almost 40% of food products never reach the market because they are lost in transportation due to poor handling, packaging, or shipping delays. As demands increase, agriculture companies become more prone to cut corners to meet them, often leading to unsettling production practices and the use of non-tested chemicals and GMOs. Even so, the amount of global food waste could feed over 2 billion people every single year. What can be done? The World Health Organization has developed good manufacturing practices (GMPs) that enhance global standards despite their complexity. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. enforces many of these regulations. The entire food sector, from farm to table, falls under this scope. This includes supervising supply chain components, such as sourcing raw materials, processing equipment, managing facilities, training personnel, maintaining sanitation practices, and overseeing transportation logistics, packaging protocols, labeling standards, and testing procedures. Improved food safety has increased American trust in product labels due to accurate information. The food and beverage industry would not be able to identify food contents and contaminants without the help of advanced lab testing with procedures like liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, which have become standard methods for chemical analysis. Research into innovative analytical techniques reveals new ways to overcome industry challenges and forecast trends in food science. Chromatography’s Effect on Food & Beverage The growing complexity of our food supply chain highlights the rising importance of food safety. Food production must undergo lab testing to meet regulatory standards in countries such as the US. Regulatory bodies such as the FDA define permissible levels for substances including mycotoxins and residual solvents. Recording test results provide material for audits and establishes consumer trust with precise nutritional labeling. Through chromatographic techniques, businesses verify that each batch they produce complies with regulatory standards to maintain product quality and safety. Accurate labeling builds consumer trust while avoiding mislabeling incidents, contamination, and hidden allergens. Liquid chromatography accurately identifies and measures food components, allowing analysts to establish advanced quality metrics. Contamination Detection: LC technology together with LC-MS enables laboratories to detect and measure the presence of contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals and various additives in food items. Through precise detection this method identifies trace amounts of dangerous chemicals and potential health threats. Nutrition Label Verification: The use of LC for food profiling results in precise and reliable nutrition facts that maintain consistency. Food production companies, government regulators, and consumers achieve mutual agreement through this process. Determination of Bioactive Compounds: Antioxidants and polyphenols serve as bioactive compounds that deliver substantial health advantages. The identification of these compounds in food items plays a crucial role in determining their nutritional worth. The food and beverage industry relies heavily on liquid chromatography due to its distinctive capacity to divide complex compounds. Every food type contains numerous potential compounds while there are thousands of different food varieties available. Liquid chromatography has simplified the analysis of food and beverage matrices which were previously overwhelmingly complicated. Liquid chromatography enables scientists to determine the exact chemical composition of a sample down to molecular detail from one sample. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) functions under significantly higher pressures than standard liquid chromatography (LC), applying specialized pumps to create pressure and surpass gravity-driven methods leading to faster and more effective testing. HPLC delivers precise and accurate results in food sample analyses through the use of a smaller stationary phase and pure solvents combined with advanced equipment. The enhanced pressure results in superior peak separation which aids in more accurate compound identification. Dairy, Meat, and Plant-Based Products Food companies and agencies rely on liquid chromatography to evaluate diverse food sourcing processes related to meat and dairy products. This analytical method detects harmful substances in animal products while verifying their origin claims to ensure consumer safety. Chromatography technology assesses nutrient levels and finds pesticides in plant-derived goods which meet quality requirements. This technique separates authentic products from counterfeit ones to safeguard both consumers and legitimate producers. Beverage Industry and Water Sources The beverage industry shares the same importance and principles as food, although different challenges may arise, such as water sourcing. LC helps identify dangerous components like mycotoxins that may have been missed filtration or produced in improper facilities. It serves as a fundamental tool for checking ingredient legitimacy creating beverage formulations that achieve specific taste profiles and nutritional benefits. Companies achieve regulatory compliance and earn consumer trust while maintaining customer satisfaction, which proves to achieve success with delivering precise results needed for quality control procedures. Amino and Fatty Acids Analysis Amino acids function as building blocks for protein synthesis while performing vital nutritional mechanisms and metabolic activities. The primary energy source for cellular mechanisms and cell structure are free fatty acids which HPLC analysis quantifies with high precision. HPLC provides precise amino acid concentrations when working with complex food matrices and successfully detects free fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6. HPLC’s superior performance preserves the integrity of volatile and unsaturated fatty acids and produces dependable outcomes. Identifying Phenolic and Organic Acids Phenolic compounds serve as potent antioxidants to protect against oxidative stress and provide health benefits by reducing inflammation. Citric acid and malic acid serve as organic acids best for food preservation and flavor enhancement. The measurement of phenolic compounds and organic acids found in various fruits, vegetales, and beverage ingredients provide large corporations the ability to track their abundance in products at very low concentrations. This helps make sure safety standards are met and optimal taste is achieved before reaching the market. Vitamins, Collagen, and Folic Acid Through chromatographic methods scientists can accurately assess Vitamin C content, which plays a key role in both immune system function and the production of collagen. LC can precisely differentiate between Vitamin C and other ascorbic acid derivatives and other nutritional components. It is also a popular method used for quantifying Vitamin E and folic acid. Detection of Specific Compounds Liquid chromatography classifies food and beverage compounds into three main categories: additives, natural components, and residues. Additives are substances added to processed foods on an industrial scale to help improve preservation and shelf life. They can also alter sensory properties, such as taste or the masking of aftertaste. Whether derived from natural sources or created artificially, food additives enhance flavor profiles, texture, durability, and visual appeal in food products. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and citric acid occur naturally in foods, yet they undergo extraction or synthesis processes for use in processed food items. Minimally processed or unprocessed foods do not contain intentionally added manufacturing additives. Food additives play essential roles in mass food production by preventing spoilage, maintaining quality, and improvingconsistency. While some food additives are deemed safe at approved levels, excessive intake or long-term exposure to certain compounds, including artificial preservatives and colorants have raised health concerns. Government agencies, including the FDA, enforce stringent regulatory evaluations and approval processes to protect consumers by assessing food additives before they enter the market. ADDITIVES Function Examples Acidulants Renders food more palatable and stimulating Amplifies desired tastes Masks or diminishes unwanted aftertastes Sorbic acid Citric acid Acetic acid Succinic acid Lactic acid Tartaric acid Phosphoric acid Antioxidants Scavenges free radicals Prevents or slows lipid oxidation, reducing rancidity risks Natural antioxidants like Vitamin C and E serve as essential nutrients Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Vitamin E (tocopherols) Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) Mono-tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) Preservatives Prevent spoilage by inhibiting microbial growth in food and beverages Benzoic acid Sorbic acid Propionic acid Parabens (methyl, ethyl, and propyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid) Flavors Creates or adds specific flavor profiling for taste Three major classes of flavoring agents include essential oils, bitter compounds and pungency compounds Vanillin (essential oil) Lupulon Humulon (hop bittering compounds) Artificial Sweeteners Synthetic sugar substitute that provides sweetness without added calories Potassium acesulfame Aspartame Saccharin Colorants Creates or enhances food color and other visual aspects E104 Quinolin yellow E131 Patent blue Natural components of food are what we think of as the main ingredients. Once consumed these nutrients belong to specific classifications that perform essential body functions and maintain life. Food nutrients fall into two main classifications which are macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients provide energy directly, measured in calories. Most macronutrients are comprised of fats together with proteins and carbohydrates. Unlike macronutrients which provide energy, micronutrients like vitamins and minerals function by regulating essential body processes like metabolism, immunity and development. Natural components primarily function as nutrients but certain non-nutrients exist as exceptions. Although polyphenols, amines, and natural toxins display potential health effects, they remain classified as non-nutrients. The decomposition of antioxidants and bioactive substances leads to the formation of specific non-nutrients while preservatives produce other non-nutrients exemplified by nitrites found in processed meats. Non-nutrients demonstrate diverse health impacts through beneficial effects while also posing health risks at high concentrations. NATURAL COMPONENTS Functions Examples Inorganic Ions (i.e. nitrites) Commonly used as preservatives, stabilizers, or fortifying agents in food processing. Nitrites Sulfates Phosphates Chloride Lipids Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential macronutrients Major reserve energy source in biological systems Triglycerides containing unsaturated fatty acids react with light and oxygen to form hydroperoxides, which strongly influence taste and the quality of fats and oils Saturated and unsaturated triglycerides Free fatty acids such as omega 3 Fats Oils Biogenic Amines Present in various food products, such as fish, cheese, wine and beer from microbial activity (fermentation) Tyramine Histamine Putrecscine Methylamine Amino acids Essential for protein synthesis, energy, and hormone production Aids in immune system functions and neurotransmission Promotes skin, hair, and nail growth Typically 20 naturally occurring amino acids make up the building blocks of all proteins 9 essential amino acids Carbohydrates Essential macronutrient Glucose Fructose Sorbitol Lactose Maltose Vitamins Essential micronutrients for body functionality Fat-soluble: E, D, A Water-soluble: C, B1, B2, B6, B12 Residues and contaminants are the third class of compounds food analysts monitor. Unlike additives and natural components, these ingredients serve no beneficial purpose and are unwanted substances not intentionally added to food. For example, antibiotic drugs may be used to suppress disease in livestock that are found in meats later. Antiparasitic drugs may be used in fertilizers or pesticides, yet they are absorbed by plants and identified in produce. Poor food storage or transportation may cause fungi to thrive under certain conditions, which can lead to the presence of mycotoxins and acute poisoning. Almost all residues and contaminants are unwanted byproducts either from a natural or artificial source. They can also have serious adverse health effects. Even at trace levels, they can be impactful on entire consumer groups, which is why food analysts scrutinize this category of compounds closely with liquid chromatography: RESIDUES AND CONTAMINANTS Functions Examples Chemotherapeutics and Antiparasitic Drugs Used to treat or prevent infections caused by bacteria and parasites in food-producing animals Potential residues found in foods of animal origins (meat, milk, and eggs) Nitrofurans (carcinogenic) Sulfonamides Tetracyclines Mycotoxins Highly toxic compounds that can contaminate food products when growth or storage conditions are favorable for fungal infestation Causes acute poisoning, cancer, organ damage, and immunosuppression Aflatoxin: G2, G1, B2, B1, M2, M1 Ochratoxin A Zearalenone Patulin 100+ other mycotoxins are known with ongoing research Reactive Intermediates Degradation products from chemicals in common coatings (i.e. epoxy, lacquers, polyester) Protective coatings on surfaces of cans or food packaging can leach reactive intermediates into the food product Can lead to oxidative stress and damages cellular components, like proteins and DNA Linked to endocrine disruption, metabolic disorders, and carcinogenic effects in animal studies Associated with altered blood chemistry, including hormonal imbalances and inflammatory responses. Bisphenol A (BPA) Bisphenol S (BPS) Other reactive plasticizers used in food packaging Preservatives and Herbicides Increases crop yield Can disrupt gut microbiome Can cause allergic reactions or hypersensitivity Associated with long-term health risks, including cancer Trianzines (herbicide) Phenylurea (herbicide) Carbamates (insecticide) Food Matrices & Sample Techniques The intricate structures found in food and beverage matrices present unique challenges that require resolution. Food matrices contain various components, such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Therefore, sample preparation requires tailored approaches. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) successfully separates solid or oil samples by introducing two immiscible solvents. A polar solvent like HPLC-grade water along with a non-polar solvent like dichloromethane forms two separate phases. Through the use of a separatory funnel and additional equipment, compounds become extractable and purifiable by evaporation followed by crystallization. The solid-liquid extraction process known as “leaching” breaks down compounds in solid mixtures which makes it ideal for samples containing both soluble and insoluble elements A functionalized column acts as a solid absorbent material in Solid Phase Extraction (SPE), which is recognized as a widely used technique for purifying liquid samples. The SPE method provides accurate analytical data even though it faces several operational challenges. The QuEChERS method (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) simplifies the sample preparation process by combining centrifugation with extraction salts and an immiscible solvent like acetonitrile. While SPE facilitates the selective analysis of specific compounds, QuEChERS offers higher sample processing rates when exact specificity is not necessary. Both SPE and QuEChERS are commonly used methods for detecting pesticides and other food contaminants. The analytical method of choice depends on the sample and lab goals. In chromatography, this affects column and solvent selection. LC columns need to be the right material and size for effective analyte interaction. Solvent selection must be the right purity grade and have mobile phase properties compatible with other system components. HPLC-grade solvents, like ours at Birch Biotech, are recommended for high-performance chromatography. Want to learn more about our solvents? Read more of our articles or visit us at Birch Biotech. -- Disclaimer: The content provided on the Birch Biotech blog is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The information offered here is designed to provide helpful insights and advice related to laboratory practices and supplies. Readers are advised to refer to our product-specific quality data sheets and Certificates of Analysis (COAs) available on our website for detailed information on product specifications. It is essential to handle and store all materials according to the safety guidelines and regulatory requirements applicable to your area. While we endeavor to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information published, it should not be used as a substitute for professional advice or official protocols. We encourage all our readers to consult their institution's guidelines, local regulations, and professional standards before implementing any practices discussed here. Birch Biotech does not accept liability for any actions undertaken based on the information provided in this blog nor for the misuse of our products. Furthermore, Birch Biotech does not guarantee the completeness, reliability, or timeliness of the information contained on this website. This disclaimer is subject to change at any time without notifications. Sources for this Article: https://www.fda.gov/ https://katanamrp.com/gmp/ https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/ https://shapiroe.com/blog/food-waste-during-transportation/ https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/food/worldwide https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-additives