The content of phytochemicals associated with the antioxidant activity of the fruits of species of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.; Rosacea) located in Mexico is unknown. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, vitamin C and the antioxidant activity in a selection of Mexican hawthorn species. A quantification was made of total phenols, flavonoids and vitamin C (expressed on mg of phenol, quercetin and ascorbic acid per 100 g of fresh weight, respectively), in 10 g of fruits selected from each genotype; a total of 20 genotypes were sampled, these located in the germplasm bank of the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Mexico. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the DPPH method, expressed as mean inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ). Content of total phenols, flavonoids and vitamin C cannot be associated with the origin and species of the samples. Some genotypes from the state of Chiapas could be considered to have a higher potential for commercial use and consumption due to their nutraceutical quality. Most of the fruits of the 20 genotypes of hawthorn presented a content of phenolic compounds higher than that described for other fruits (lychee fruits, peaches and strawberries); these nutraceutical characteristics provide an added value to the fruit.

Astragalus roots from Astragalus membranaceus Bunge or Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus (Bunge) Hsiao are among the most popular traditional medicinal plants due to their diverse therapeutic uses based on their tonic, antinephritic, immunostimulant, hepatoprotectant, diuretic, antidiabetic, analgesic, expectorant and sedative properties. Currently, the herb is produced or cultivated in various sites, including 10 different locations in China with very diverse environmental conditions. These differences affect their metabolic pools and consequently their medicinal properties. The comparative metabolic profiling of plants of different geographical origins or ages could contribute to detect biomarkers for their quality control and thus guarantee the efficacy of the herbal medicines produced with this drug. In this paper nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR)-based metabolomics was applied for to plants of different origins and age for this purpose. The results of this study show that in the set of samples evaluated, age is more discriminating than geographical location. The quantity of individual flavonoids and some primary metabolites contributed most to this age differentiation. On the other hand, based on the analysis of orthogonal partial least square (OPLS) modeling, the marker metabolites for the geographical origin were saponins and isoflavonoids.

Metabolomics is a study through can be obtain a beter understanding of the complexity of the biological systems, through the chemical composition and relations with the physiology of the plant. The literature describes a lot of information on this support in areas of medicinal plants, chemosystematics, adulteration of plants, etc., but it is scarce in agriculture. At present, agriculture plays a crucial role in human beings. The demand of foods has increased due to the continuous increase in the population, and this requires an increase in the production of crops, besides the crops being afected by the climatic change, atack of pest and diseases and resistance to a conventional agrochemicals. At present, scientists are doing some practices or studies of genetic improvement of crops to increase their production and avoid the problems pointed out. It is an important part of the genomic studies; the results could be the basis for a genetic improvement based on the chemical composition of the crops, and in the metabolomics studies represent a crucial role in their quality for human consumption. The aim of the chapter is to review the literature from 10 years behind emphasizing the importance of metabolomics in crops of economic and feed value.

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