Identification of key taste and nutrient components in 12 blueberry varieties using widely targeted metabolomics

Abstract

China ranks first in the world in blueberry production, but a comprehensive evaluation of taste- and nutrition-related metabolites of blueberry varieties is still lacking. In this study, 858 taste- and nutrition-related metabolites of 12 blueberry cultivars from three major production areas (northern, central, and southern) in China were analyzed by widely targeted metabolomics based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The results showed that Bluecrop had obvious advantages in sour and sweet taste (total carbohydrates = 1.97 × 10⁹, total organic acids = 8.20 × 10⁸ and total amino acids = 7.40 × 10⁸, expressed in peak area), while O'Neal, Legacy and Lanmei#1 were rich in anthocyanins (total anthocyanin content, expressed in peak area, all >4.52 × 10⁸). In addition, there were 348 differential metabolites among blueberry varieties from the three main production regions, with citraconic acid was significantly different among all regions (|log2FC| all >1.22), and can be used as a key biomarker to distinguish the three main production areas. Other differential metabolites were mainly concentrated in the biosynthesis and degradation pathways of amino acids and the biosynthesis of flavonoid secondary metabolites based on the TCA cycle. Among them, amino acids were higher in northern varieties, while flavonoids were higher in both northern and southern varieties. This study can provide theoretical reference and data support for the processing adaptation of blueberry varieties.