Doehlert design in the optimization of procedures aiming food analysis – A review

•Doehlert design in the optimization of food analytical methods.•Didactic approach about its main characteristics.•Critical discussion of its advantages, limitations and potentialities.•Real applications examples in the food chemistry area. In the present paper is presented a review on the application of Doehlert design in the optimization of some of the steps of analytical procedures aimed the analysis of food samples. The theoretical principles and the main characteristics of this type of design are described. In addition, the main advantages and limitations of Doehlert design over other designs (Central Composite Design and Box-Behnken) and its application in the area of food analysis are discussed. Finally, to illustrate its potential, some examples of Doehlert design application in other areas of food chemistry without the purpose of analytical determination will be briefly presented.