GC-MS Based Metabolite Profiling to Monitor Ripening-Specific Metabolites in Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

Abstract

Pineapple is one of the most cultivated tropical, non-climacteric fruits in the world due to its high market value and production volume. Since non-climacteric fruits do not ripen after harvest, the ripening stage at the time of harvest is an important factor that determines sensory quality and shelf life. The objective of this research was to investigate metabolite changes in the pineapple ripening process by metabolite profiling approach. Pineapple (Queen variety) samples from Indonesia were subjected to GC-MS analysis. A total of 56, 47, and 54 metabolites were annotated from the crown, flesh, and peel parts, respectively. From the principal component analysis (PCA) plot, separation of samples based on ripening stages from C0–C2 (early ripening stages) and C3–C4 (late ripening stages) was observed for flesh and peel parts, whereas no clear separation was seen for the crown part. Furthermore, orthogonal projection to latent structures (OPLS) analysis suggested metabolites that were associated with the ripening stages in flesh and peel parts of pineapple. This study indicated potentially important metabolites that are correlated to the ripening of pineapple that would provide a basis for further study on pineapple ripening process.

GC-MS Metabolic Profile and α-Glucosidase-, α-Amylase-, Lipase-, and Acetylcholinesterase-Inhibitory Activities of Eight Peach Varieties

“…PCA and HCA are statistical methods that are widely used to evaluate the clustering of different plant samples according to their chemical components [ 47 , 75 , 76 , 77 ].…”

“…This confirms that the ripening period has a direct link to the quantities of metabolites present in peaches. PCA and HCA are statistical methods that are widely used to evaluate the clustering of different plant samples according to their chemical components [47,[75][76][77].…”

Cross-Species Comparison of Metabolomics to Decipher the Metabolic Diversity in Ten Fruits

“…For instance, pummelo and grapefruit accumulate less methoxylated flavonoids than their relatives, including lemon, mandarin, and orange [ 13 ]. The development of plant metabolomics contributes to understanding the fruit metabolome [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. However, the metabolic diversity of fruits with less phylogenetic relatedness has not yet been sufficiently investigated.…”

Special Issue on “Fruit Metabolism and Metabolomics”

“…This Special Issue covers a range of fruit species, including model fruit (tomato [12][13][14]), temperate (kiwifruit [15], mulberry [16]) or tropical fruit crops (pineapple [17], cashew [18]), genetic resources (melon [19]), and indigenous fruit (Davidson's plum, finger lime and native pepper berry [20]). Different analytical approaches are covered also: near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) [18], gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) [17], liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) [16,18,21,22], LC-MS/MS [20], and a combination of several analytical strategies including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), GC-MS and LC-MS [19] or several omics [15]. The original research articles can be classified according to scientific domains: biochemical phenotyping of genetic resources for collection maintenance or intraspecific classification, generating knowledge about fruit growth, ripening and post-harvest, understanding metabolism, characterizing defence priming, identifying bioactive compounds for human nutrition and health.…”

“…The results suggest that cytokinins, known to be implicated in cell division, are also involved in fruit cell expansion and growth in kiwifruit. Pineapple ripening was characterized using GC-MS of crown, flesh, and peel samples [17]. Samples could be separated according to ripening phases from early-ripening to late-ripening phases for flesh and peel, which allowed highlighting metabolites correlated to ripening.…”