Affiliation:
1. Institute of Quality and Safety for Agro‐products Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Zhengzhou China
2. Key Laboratory of Grain Quality and Safety and Testing Henan Province Zhengzhou China
3. International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences Henan University Kaifeng China
4. Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro‐products of CAAS Beijing China
5. Department of Pharmacy the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Abstract
AbstractBACKGROUNDDioscorea opposita Thunb. cv. Tiegun maturity (DM) is an important factor influencing its quality. However, there are few studies on the impact of harvest time on its maturation. In the present study, a NMR‐based metabolomics approach was applied to investigate the dynamic metabolic changes of D. opposita Thunb. cv. Tiegun at six different harvest stages: stage 1 (S1), stage 2 (S2), Stage 3 (S3), stage 4 (S4), stage 5 (S5) and stage 6 (S6).RESULTSPrincipal component analysis showed distinct segregation of samples obtained from S1, S2 and S3 compared to those derived from S4, S5 and S6. Interestingly, these samples from the two periods were obtained before and after frost, indicating that frost descent might be important for DM. Eight differential metabolites responsible for good separation of different groups were identified by the principal component analysis loading plot and partial least squares‐discriminant analysis. In addition, quantitative analysis of these metabolites using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry determined the effects of harvest time on these metabolite contents, two of which, sucrose and allantoin, were considered as potential biomarkers to determine DM.CONCLUSIONThe present study demonstrated that NMR‐based metabolomics approach could serve as a powerful tool to identify differential metabolites during harvesting processes, also offering a fresh insight into understanding the DM and the potential mechanism of quality formation. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.