Advances in Analysis of Contaminants in Foodstuffs on the Basis of Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry: a Review

It is a complex and time-consuming business to monitor potential contaminants in foodstuffs. Due to their complexity, false-positive results often occur in low-resolution mass spectrometry in multi-component residue analysis, resulting in misjudgment of results. In this review, we presented an overview of previous studies on the application of Orbitrap mass spectrometry in the analysis of various containments in foodstuffs, including pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, mycotoxins, illegally added drugs, and other containments. Orbitrap mass spectrometry can overcome the shortcoming of false-positive results with its high resolution and accuracy. Other benefits including the collection of full-scan spectra, which provides greater insight into the composition of sample, the possibility of retrospective data analysis, and the capability of performing structural elucidations of unknown or suspected compounds have also been confirmed. Thus, Orbitrap mass spectrometry has been widely adopted in non-target screening of harmful contaminants in foodstuffs. Finally, the future perspectives of the application of Orbitrap mass spectrometry are proposed. This review intends to provide a broad understanding of the analysis of contaminants in foodstuffs on the basis of Orbitrap mass spectrometry.