LC-MS spectra processing.

Peak extraction from raw data is the first step in LC-MS data analysis. The quality of this procedure is important since it affects the quality and accuracy of all subsequent analysis such as database searches and peak quantitation. The most important and most accurately measured physical entity provided by mass spectrometers is m/z values which need to be extracted by state of art algorithms and scrutinized thoroughly. The aim of this chapter is to provide a discussion of peak processing methods and furthermore discuss some of the yet unresolved or neglected issues. A few novel concepts are also proposed for analysis and visualization. The final section of this chapter provides a note on possible software for spectra processing.