Metabolomics-Based Evaluation of Crop Quality Changes as a Consequence of Climate Change

Abstract

Fruit composition determines the fruit quality and, consequently, consumer acceptance. As fruit quality can be modified by environmental conditions, it will be impacted by future alterations produced by global warming. Therefore, agricultural activities will be influenced by the changes in climatological conditions in cultivable areas, which could have a high socioeconomic impact if fruit production and quality decline. Currently, different stresses are being applied to several cultivated species to evaluate their impact on fruit metabolism and plant performance. With the use of metabolomic tools, these changes can be precisely measured, allowing us to determine changes in the patterns of individual compounds. As these changes depend on both the stress severity and the specific species involved and even on the specific cultivar, individual analysis must be conducted. To date, the most-studied crops have mainly been crops that are widely cultivated and have a high socioeconomic impact. In the near future, with the development of these metabolomic strategies, their implementation will be extended to other species, which will allow the adaptation of cultivation conditions and the development of varieties with high adaptability to climatological changes.