Metabolic Profile Comparison of Hop (Humulus lupulus) Cultivars Grown in Brazil

The growing interest in Brazilian hop cultivation has highlighted the need to better understand the chemical diversity of locally adapted cultivars. In this study, we compared the metabolomic profiles of three Humulus lupulus L. (Cannabaceae) cultivars-Cascade, Chinook, and Triple Pearl-grown under Brazilian environmental conditions. Using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we identified key metabolites, including bitter acids and prenylflavonoids. Feature-Based Molecular Networking (FBMN) on the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform enabled the annotation and structural organization of these metabolites, revealing distinct chemical clustering among cultivars. Multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), showed that genetic background plays a predominant role in shaping metabolic variation. These findings provide insights into the unique chemical composition of Brazilian-grown hops and support their potential as valuable sources of bioactive compounds for the food and pharmaceutical industries.