Supercritical fluid chromatography in food analysis: a survey of the last three-year period

Abstract

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has evolved into a versatile, high-performance analytical technique with compelling advantages in food analysis in terms of speed, resolution, and sustainability. This minireview surveys the substantial advancements in SFC technology and applications from 2023 to 2025, focusing on nutritional and bioactive compound profiling, underpinning food authenticity and fraud prevention, and emphasizing chiral and regiochemical separations. Furthermore, applications in quality control and food safety demonstrate the capability of SFC for rapid, multi-residue contaminant screening with minimal environmental impact. The integration of green analytical chemistry principles through solvent minimization and on-line extraction consolidates SFC as a sustainable platform for comprehensive food analysis. Challenges and future perspectives including standardization, method automation, artificial intelligence integration, and portable systems are discussed.