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.

Floral Scents and Fruit Aromas: Functions, Compositions, Biosynthesis, and Regulation

“…The final flavor profile is affected by environmental conditions such as climate, sunlight, soil, fruit ripening, harvesting time, and post-harvesting processes ( Kongor et al, 2016 ). Environmental stresses (e.g., temperature and drought) influence fruit metabolism and aromatic compound content ( Romero et al, 2021 ).…”

Polyphenols in fig: a review on their characterisation, biochemistry during ripening, antioxidant activity and health benefits

“…Total anthocyanins enhanced up to 950 mg 100 g FW −1 in the dark coloured peels, suggesting the peel to be an important edible part of good nutritional value. The levels of cyanidin‐3,5‐diglucoside and cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside contents increased during the ripening process but changes in cyanidin‐3‐O‐rutinoside were insignificant (Romero et al ., 2021).…”

Exploring Genotype-by-Environment Interactions of Chemical Composition of Raspberry by Using a Metabolomics Approach

“…Raspberry fruit metabolic composition and quality traits are influenced both by genetic and environmental factors, as observed in this and previous analyses [ 25 , 27 , 39 ]. While the present knowledge about the complex genetic architecture of fruit quality attributes has been extensively improved since the development of QTL mapping and GWAS approaches, combined with high throughput metabolomic platforms [ 40 ], the impact of the environment on fruit metabolite composition is still poorly understood, its analysis being additionally hampered by current unstable climatic conditions triggered by climate change [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Furthermore, the metabolic characterization of raspberry genotypes for sensory and nutritional qualities remains essential for fruit breeding strategies.…”