Detection sensitivity and quantification are further improved when mass spectrometry is coupled with in-line chromatographic separation techniques such as gas-chromatography (GC) or liquidchromatography (LC) . GC is typically used for volatile non-polar metabolites, but sample derivatization can expand the range of metabolites that can be detected by GC-MS to include more polar and less volatile compounds such as fatty acids, amino acids, amines, sterols and sugars . This allows for the detection of important metabolites relevant to the sensory profile of beverages, such as fatty acids, including lactic acid and acetic acid, which are important in sour beers and wines. LC for metabolomics typically uses either reversed phase LC (RPLC) or hydrophilic interaction LC (HILIC) . RPLC allows separation of more hydrophobic compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, peptides and certain glycosylated species , while HILIC can separate polar compounds such as amino acids, sugars, and nucleotides . In the context of fermented beverages, GC-MS and LC-MS allow complementary analysis of metabolites that are important contributors to beverage quality (Fig. ). While metabolomics is relatively mature, its range of applications is still growing. In particular, metabolomics is emerging as a powerful tool for the assessment of quality, flavour, aroma and sensorial characteristics in the food and beverage industry, especially for fermented beverages with complex metabolite profiles originating from diverse organisms including yeasts.