Michael Rychlik’s career has been guided by questions that analytical methods could not yet answer. From flavor research, he moved to toxins and then vitamins, using mass spectrometry and stable isotopes to investigate food composition in greater depth. Each advance exposed further complexity – and further limits to what could be measured.
In this installment of our RAFA series, Rychlik discusses the appeal of fundamental research, the challenges of studying vitamins and their bioavailability, and his interest in AI for identifying unknown compounds. He also explains why RAFA remains a useful place to explore ideas beyond the familiar.
What connects the different stages of your career?
Basically, I always wanted to understand food and its phenomena. For my PhD, I started with flavor research, but at that time many of the questions could not be answered in sufficient depth. I therefore moved on to toxins, using stable isotope technology to support risk assessment. From there, I turned to vitamins, where the available analytical technology was really poor. Improving it finally gave us an insight into their true complexity. We then tried to tackle this complexity with nontargeted metabolomics, but because of limited sensitivity, we are still not able to capture vitamins in their natural state.
The common thread connecting all of this is methodology – mass spectrometry and stable isotopes.
What motivates you?
I have always been interested in fundamental research and have left the translation into practice to others.
For me, instrumentation is not an end in itself but a tool for answering unsolved questions, such as the bioavailability of vitamins. Mass spectrometry of isotopologues still fascinates me because it allows us to observe the very composition of matter.
Which challenges and developments in food science interest you most?
As I pointed out at RAFA 2019 in my talk, “Reading the crystal ball,” analytical technology is progressing exponentially. The metabolome also remains a fascinating field for me. However, the identification and structural assignment of unknown compounds is still tedious, and I am curious to see how AI can help.
What will you discuss at RAFA, and why does it matter?
I will present the analysis of challenging and analytically critical vitamins and their bioavailability. For me, vitamin research still has to face a paradox: for some vitamins, a general diet appears insufficient to cover our needs. Technocrats try to solve this problem through fortification, whereas I would prefer to see it solved in a natural way.
At the same time, current eating preferences are developing in a strange direction. In my view, there is more ideology involved – for example, in the planetary health diet – than scientific evidence.
What do you get from a meeting like RAFA?
A meeting like RAFA offers new methods, as well as insight into emerging topics and fascinating solutions in food analysis. Equally important is the opportunity to meet eminent colleagues in the field and discuss current problems and developments with them.
Who should attend RAFA?
Anyone interested in thinking outside the box should attend. RAFA is a place where such ideas are welcome, as my predictions for the metabolome in 2019 showed.
The 12th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2026) takes place November 3–6, 2026, at the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Czech Republic. Find out more at rafa2026.eu.
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