Mass spectrometry imaging in food safety and authenticity: Overcoming challenges and exploring opportunities

Background: The combination of molecular profiling capabilities and spatial information is accessible by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), which has gained substantial importance over the last 20 years in the analytical community. The number of applications of MSI on food has increased remarkably in recent years, enabling us to visualize the spatial distributions for a wide range of chemical compounds in complex samples, such as fresh and processed food. Many endogenous food components and bioactive compounds have been successfully visualized in situ in cereals, fruits, vegetables and animal-based food. However, only limited data are available for MSI for food authenticity and safety. Scope and approach: This review explores the current state and the potential unexplored benefits of MSI in food safety and authenticity, addressing the gaps and highlighting opportunities for further research and development. Key findings and conclusions: MSI has tremendous potential to improve food safety and authenticity assessment by providing spatially resolved molecular information on contaminants, toxins, and adulterants in food products. Addressing research gaps related to sensitivity, quantitative analysis and integration with multi-omics approaches, is essential to realize the full benefits of MSI in food safety applications. MSI technology is expected to improve food safety control measures and advance our understanding of food system within a spatial context, providing essential spatial information that can subsequently be assessed with faster analytical techniques. This will ultimately contribute to improved human health and consumer confidence in the food supply chain.