Bechynska, K.; Sedlak, J.; Uttl, L.; Kosek, V.; Vackova, P.; Kocourek, V.; Hajslova, J. Metabolomics on Apple (Malus domestica) Cuticle—Search for Authenticity Markers. Foods2024, 13, 1308.
Bechynska, K.; Sedlak, J.; Uttl, L.; Kosek, V.; Vackova, P.; Kocourek, V.; Hajslova, J. Metabolomics on Apple (Malus domestica) Cuticle—Search for Authenticity Markers. Foods 2024, 13, 1308.
Bechynska, K.; Sedlak, J.; Uttl, L.; Kosek, V.; Vackova, P.; Kocourek, V.; Hajslova, J. Metabolomics on Apple (Malus domestica) Cuticle—Search for Authenticity Markers. Foods2024, 13, 1308.
Bechynska, K.; Sedlak, J.; Uttl, L.; Kosek, V.; Vackova, P.; Kocourek, V.; Hajslova, J. Metabolomics on Apple (Malus domestica) Cuticle—Search for Authenticity Markers. Foods 2024, 13, 1308.
Abstract
The profile of secondary metabolites occurring in apple cuticular layer is not only characteristic for particular apple cultivar, but also dynamically reflects various external factors in growing environment. In this study, the possibility to authenticate apple samples based on analysis of their cuticular layer extracts was investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was employed for obtaining metabolomic fingerprints. In total, 274 authentic apple samples, four cultivars harvested within the seasons 2020 to 2022 in the Czech Republic and Poland were analysed. The generated complex data processed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods enabled to build classification models for discrimination of apple cultivars as well as their geographical origin. The models showed very good performance in differentiation of Czech and Polish samples for three of four cultivars: ‘Gala’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’, moreover, the validity of the models was verified over harvest seasons. The diagnostic markers, besides metabolites of triterpene biosynthetic pathway, mainly represented wax esters. ‘Jonagold’, which is known to be susceptible to mutations, was the only cultivar for which the unambiguous classification of geographical origin was not possible.
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