Applications of spe-mip in the field of food analysis

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been established over the past decades as a powerful yet simple-to-use tool for sample pretreatment and isolation of compounds of interest, with its simplicity, customization possibilities, and broad spectrum of applications being the main reasons for its popularity. Molecular imprinting serves as the method of choice for the introduction of selective features to the stationary phase for SPE applications. Following synthetic protocols, such as noncovalent, covalent, and semi-covalent, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can be prepared in various formats (bulk monoliths or monolithic rods, spherical particles, surface-imprinted or composite MIPs, etc.). The target analyte template is included as a component of the polymerization mixture, thus introducing memory to a three-dimensional polymer network in the final polymer material in the form of selective binding sites, capable of recognizing the target analyte of interest and extracting it from a complicated matrix. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have found applications in food analysis for sample pretreatment using solid-phase extraction, either offline or coupled in line with an HPLC separation column. The present review surveys the applications of MIPs in the analysis of food additives, food components, contaminants (especially pesticides), mineral and trace elements, and pharmaceuticals present in food products.