Metabolomics profiling of apples of different cultivars and growth locations

Abstract

Apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is a globally significant fruit in terms of both production and consumption. Metabolomics characteristics of 22 apple cultivars collected from five major apple-growing regions in Shanxi Province (China) were investigated by using ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics. The analysis revealed significant variations in metabolite profiles among the cultivars, particularly in sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose), asparagine, quinic acid, L-rhamnitol, phenylalanine, and condensed polyphenols. Notably, the cultivars 'Xinhongxing' and 'NY543' exhibited high levels of asparagine and quinic acid. 'Xinhongxing' had higher glucose levels but lower sucrose and fructose levels than other cultivars. 'Hongjiangjun' from higher altitudes showed elevated malate levels, indicating that environmental factors significantly influence malate metabolism in apple fruits. The study also revealed correlations between metabolites. For example, the content of condensed polyphenols was positively correlated with the level of asparagine, and that of quinic acid with phenylalanine. The study provides valuable insights on factors influencing apple composition and quality, underlining the importance of both genetic and environmental factors. Future research using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches could reveal the impact of gene-environment interaction on biochemical pathways involved in the primary and secondary metabolism of apples.

Keywords

Apple cultivars / NMR metabolomics / Multivariate analysis / Shanxi province

Author contributions

The authors confirm their contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: Qin S, Yang B, Li J, Qiao X; experimental processing: Chen K, Pariyani R, Li Y; data collection: Pariyani R, Chen K, Li Y; analysis and interpretation of results: Chen K, Pariyani R; draft manuscript preparation: Chen K. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Acknowledgments

The research was funded by Shanxi Agricultural University, the Finland-China Food and Health Network, and Ningbo University (Grant No. ZX2024000249), the authors thank Professor Yumei Zhang at Peking University for the assistance during the shipping of the samples.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Baoru Yang is the Editorial Board member of Food Innovation and Advances who was blinded from reviewing or making decisions on the manuscript. The article was subject to the journal's standard procedures, with peer-review handled independently of this Editorial Board member and the research groups.

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