Analysis of 2-alkylcyclobutanones for detection of food irradiation: Current status, needs and prospects

► Review describes formation and analysis of 2-alkylcyclobutanones in irradiated food. ► Techniques for extraction of lipids and 2-alkylcyclobutanones from foods are compared. ► Detection techniques and method performance are compared. ► Particular attention is given to the widely adopted European Standard EN1785. ► The need to improve analytical methods is explained and approaches proposed.