Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of different platforms for metabolomics studies.

	NMR	GC-MS	LC-MS
Applications	Targeted and untargeted	Targeted and untargeted	Targeted and untargeted
Throughput	10–30 min	20–60 min	15–60 min
Advantages	Nondestructive and suitable for in vivo	Sensitive	Highly sensitive
	Quantitative of absolute concentrations	Quantitative of absolute concentrations	Wide dynamic range
	Requiring little or no sample preparation	Robust and reproducible	No need for derivatization
	Automated and robust	Small sample volume required (~1 uL)	Small sample volume required (10–100 uL)
	Highly reproducible	Available databases for identification (i.e., NIST)	Compatible with solids and liquids
		Less expensive compared with LC-MS
Disadvantages	Poor sensitivity	Destructive	Destructive
	Large sample volumes required (~0.5 mL)	Requiring derivatization and separation	Requiring separation
		Not compatible with solids	Lack of absolute quantification in untargeted applications
			Less reproducible
			Difficulty in unknown metabolite identification
			More expensive compared with GC-MS

GC-MS, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; LC-MS, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry; NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance.