A critical review on regulatory sample preparation methods: Validating solid-phase microextraction techniques

Solid phase microextraction has been explored and applied in different areas of analytical chemistry since its inception, as evidenced by the various reviews published to show its widespread applications and benefits over conventional methods. Given that the success of any technology in science is measured by its application and acceptance by society, as well as its benefit and impact on the fields of science and technology, this review thus seeks to provide an overview of SPME methods that have been validated and evaluated worldwide for routine analysis. Discussions were focused on studies where efforts have been made to validate the technology through inter-laboratory comparison tests so as to evaluate the analytical performance of SPME against conventional methodologies. Succinctly, the developed and validated SPME methods are shown to impart significant benefits over conventional methods. Provided that the analytical community continues to put forward interest and resources into the development and validation of SPME methods, a promising future for SPME is forecasted. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.