Table 1:

Pros and Cons of commonly used mass-spectrometry techniques

Technology	Advantage	Disadvantage
LC-MS	High sensitivity	Not quantitative
	Simple sample preparation	Destructive
	Suitable to hydrophilic metabolites Eg: TCA, Glycolysis metabolites	Limited for the detection of hydrophilic metabolites
	High coverage of metabolites
	Availability of open sources software for data analysis
	Affordable Cost
	Flexibility to play interplay with columns, mobile phase depends on interested metabolites
GC-MS	High coverage of metabolites	Not quantitative
	Superior sensitivity	Destructive
	Suitable gaseous and volatile metabolites Eg: polyaromatic hydrocarbons, lipids	Not suitable for thermally sensitive molecules
	Availability of open sources software for data analysis	High variations due to conditions and instrument type
	Affordable Cost
NMR	Real-time monitoring and measurements	Low sensitivity
	Structural information	Low metabolite coverage
	Simple/No sample preparation	High equipment cost and maintenance