Novel Separation Methods for the Analysis of Active and Toxic Components in Food: Second Edition

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Analysis of Food and Beverages".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 217

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
ESCET—Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Departamento de Tecnología Química y Ambiental, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933 Madrid, Spain
Interests: foods quality; contaminants; natural toxins; chromatography; microextraction; novel materials as sorbents; solid phase extraction, liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ESCET—Departamento de Tecnología Química y Ambiental, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933 Madrid, Spain
Interests: contaminants; bioactive compounds; natural toxins; sample preparation; novel materials as sorbents; miniaturization; microextraction; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; validated analytical methods; electrochemical sensors; food control; food quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, ensuring food safety and quality has become a primary concern in the food industry, necessitating the addressing of new challenges to safeguard consumer health and meet their evolving demands. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly common to devise novel analytical methodologies that are not only rapid, sensitive and selective, but also environmentally friendly, thus facilitating the assessment and improvement of food safety and quality. Given the nature of food matrices, sample treatment prior to analysis is indispensable. Integrating these green and micro-extraction methods with advanced analytical tools such as chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry provides a comprehensive and sustainable approach to characterizing active and toxic components in food.

This Special Issue serves as a call for the latest groundbreaking methodologies employed in the identification and quantification of active and toxic compounds in food samples. It encompasses an extensive range of substances, including active compounds (terpenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamins, sulfur compounds, etc.), natural toxins such as mycotoxins, plant alkaloids (pyrrolizidine, tropane, opium alkaloids, glycoalkaloids), processing contaminants (acrylamide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.), heavy metals, microplastics or veterinary drugs.

Authors are encouraged to contribute original research articles or comprehensive review papers that highlight the potential of new analytical strategies for ensuring food safety and quality.

Dr. Lorena González-Gómez
Prof. Dr. Sonia Morante Zarcero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Separations is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • food analysis
  • toxic compounds
  • bioactive compounds
  • micro-extractive methods
  • chromatography
  • food safety and quality
  • mass spectrometry
  • sample preparation
  • validated analytical methods
  • green methodologies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 1808 KB  
Article
Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Optimization and Flash Chromatography Fractionation of Punicalagin from Pomegranate Peel (Punica granatum L.)
by Erick M. Raya-Morquecho, Pedro Aguilar-Zarate, Leonardo Sepúlveda, Mariela R. Michel, Anna Iliná, Cristóbal N. Aguilar and Juan A. Ascacio-Valdés
Separations 2025, 12(10), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12100279 - 11 Oct 2025
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Abstract
Background: Pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.) is a rich source of phenols, particularly ellagitannins, highlighting punicalagin, a bioactive compound with recognized antioxidant potential. However, efficient recovery and purification methods are required to enable its application in food and health-related products. This study [...] Read more.
Background: Pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.) is a rich source of phenols, particularly ellagitannins, highlighting punicalagin, a bioactive compound with recognized antioxidant potential. However, efficient recovery and purification methods are required to enable its application in food and health-related products. This study aimed to obtain a partially purified fraction of punicalagin from pomegranate peel using optimized extraction and purification strategies. Methods: A Taguchi L9 (3)3 experimental design was employed to optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction, evaluating extraction time (10, 20, 30 min), ethanol concentration (20, 40, 80%), and solid-to-solvent ratio (1:12, 1:14, 1:16). Total polyphenol content was quantified using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Extracts obtained under optimized conditions were concentrated by rotary evaporation and subjected to semipurification using flash chromatography with Amberlite XAD-16 resin. Subsequently, the fractions were lyophilized and analyzed by HPLC/ESI/MS. Results: The Statistica software determined the optimal conditions for polyphenol extraction (20 min, 40% ethanol, 1:12), with the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio reaching 88.43 ± 0.66, surpassing the predicted value of 77.42. Flash chromatography yielded four fractions, and HPLC/ESI/MS analysis revealed the presence of ellagitannins in all of them, with fraction number 2 showing the highest relative abundance of punicalagin (89.25%). Conclusions: The combination of ultrasound-assisted extraction and flash chromatography proved effective for obtaining punicalagin-rich fractions from pomegranate peel, supporting its potential for nutraceutical applications. Full article
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