Cyclobutanones have successfully been used as chemical markers to identify irradiated food. However, existing methods for the isolation of cyclobutanones from the sample matrix often involve a long extraction (6 h) followed by a tedious clean-up regime (overall analysis time 72 h). Two alternative methods of isolation were investigated with a view to reducing the extraction and overall analysis time. Both methods (Soxtec and super critical fluid extraction (SFE)) were found to be rapid (45 min and 20 min respectively) and compared favourably to the existing method. Using the faster of the alternative methods of extraction (SFE), a simple and rapid (2 h) screening method for the detection of irradiation in food is reported.