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. 2022 Feb 15;11(4):550.
doi: 10.3390/foods11040550.

Metabolomic Analysis Reveals Nutritional Diversity among Three Staple Crops and Three Fruits

Yunxia Shi  1 , Yanxiu Guo  1 , Yuhui Wang  1 , Mingyang Li  1 , Kang Li  1   2 , Xianqing Liu  1   2 , Chuanying Fang  1 , Jie Luo  1   2
Affiliations

Metabolomic Analysis Reveals Nutritional Diversity among Three Staple Crops and Three Fruits

Yunxia Shi et al. Foods. .

Abstract

More than 2 billion people worldwide are under threat of nutritional deficiency. Thus, an in-depth comprehension of the nutritional composition of staple crops and popular fruits is essential for health. Herein, we performed LC-MS-based non-targeted and targeted metabolome analyses with crops (including wheat, rice, and corn) and fruits (including grape, banana, and mango). We detected a total of 2631 compounds by using non-targeted strategy and identified more than 260 nutrients. Our work discovered species-dependent accumulation of common present nutrients in crops and fruits. Although rice and wheat lack vitamins and amino acids, sweet corn was rich in most amino acids and vitamins. Among the three fruits, mango had more vitamins and amino acids than grape and banana. Grape and banana provided sufficient 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and vitamin B6, respectively. Moreover, rice and grape had a high content of flavonoids. In addition, the three crops contained more lipids than fruits. Furthermore, we also identified species-specific metabolites. The crops yielded 11 specific metabolites, including flavonoids, lipids, and others. Meanwhile, most fruit-specific nutrients were flavonoids. Our work discovered the complementary pattern of essential nutrients in crops and fruits, which provides metabolomic evidence for a healthy diet.

Keywords: crops; fruits; metabolite analyses; metabolome; nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Analysis of metabolic variation in fruits and crops using Q Exactive Focus Orbitrap LC-MS/MS. (a) Total ion chromatography of metabolites in fruits and crops. (b) Principal component analysis (PCA) of the total ion chromatography of fruits and crops. (c) Venn diagram analysis of crops and fruits. (d) Heat map analysis of 2631 metabolites detected in crops and fruits.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Detection and identification of specific metabolite signs by Q Exactive Focus Orbitrap LC-MS/MS. (a) Flowchart for detection and identification of specific metabolites. (b) MS/MS spectra of SDW05231 at m/z 535.1442, the metabolite was identified as 5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6,8-bis(3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl)-4H-chromen-4-one. (c) MS/MS spectra of SDW01668 at m/z 291.0860, the metabolite was identified as (-)-Epicatechin. (d) The molecular structure of the 5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6,8-bis(3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl)-4H-chromen-4-one and its general fragmentation rules. (e) The molecular structure of the (-)-Epicatechin and its general fragmentation rules.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Q trap 6500+ LC-MS/MS was used to analyze metabolite changes in crops and fruits. (a) Principal component analysis of 660 metabolites detected in crops and fruits. (b) Heat map analysis of 664 metabolites detected in crops and fruits. (c) Volcanic map analysis of differentially accumulated metabolites in rice and grape. (d) Volcanic map analysis of differentially accumulated metabolites in corn and grape. (e) Volcanic map analysis of differentially accumulated metabolites in wheat and grape. The average of three biological replicates was used for metabolite analysis. The content of each metabolite was normalized, and hierarchical clustering was carried out. Each crop and fruit was labeled in a single column, and each metabolite was represented by a single row.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Accumulation of vitamins and amino acids in three crops and three fruits. (a) Heat map of vitamin in three crops and three fruits. (b) Heat map of amino acid in three crops and three fruits. (c) Heat map of flavonoids in three crops and three fruits. (d) Heat map of lipids in three crops and three fruits. The average of three biological replicates was used for metabolite analysis. The content of each metabolite was normalized, and hierarchical clustering was carried out. Each crop and fruit is marked in a single column, and each metabolite is represented by a single row.
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