Green materials for greener food sample preparation: A review

This review article overviews green analytical microextraction methods developed for food analysis. Particular attention is paid to the type and characteristics of the extraction phase (solvent or sorbent), given not only their enormous impact on the sustainability of the method, but also on its extraction capability and clean-up efficiency. Ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, supramolecular solvents, and switchable solvents are among the solvents reviewed, whereas polymers, metal-organic frameworks, covalent-organic frameworks, and carbon-based nanomaterials are the sorbents discussed. The greenness of the extraction material is evaluated in terms of cost and availability of the reagents employed for their preparation, green aspects of their synthesis, the possibility of their re-use, and the safety and/or toxicity related to their manipulation. At the same time, the main applications developed in the last years in the food field are presented following this vision.