Determination of trace patulin in apple-based food matrices

•Review outlined methodologies used for the determination of patulin in apple-based food.•Sample preparation strategies were reviewed.•Significant advancements of chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry were summarized.

Patulin is a toxic metabolite of a number of fungi; its toxicity is serious and its contamination in food is a worldwide problem, especially in apple-based food. Effective control of patulin contamination strongly depends on reliable analytical methods. In this review, various analytical methods, especially those that have appeared in the last ten years, are summarized, including the highly reproducible chromatography and mass-spectrometry-based methods, highly selective sensor-based methods and indirect quantitative PCR methods. This review also summarizes the promising features of novel materials in sample preparation for patulin determination.