Abstract: Mass spectrometry imaging is an untargeted and label-free chemical imaging technique that allows for the analysis of hundreds to thousands of molecules in a single experiment. As an emerging “molecular microscope”, chemical imaging based on mass spectrometry has become common in the fields of biomedicine, pharmaceutical, and botanical research, and it is an emerging technology that has opened up opportunities for fundamental research in food science. This review briefly describes the development of mass spectrometry imaging and ionization techniques for it, and systematically summarizes the recent applications of mass spectrometry imaging in the field of food science.

Key words: mass spectrometry, molecular imaging, food analysis, safety and quality