Nutritional Quality Fingerprinting of Wild and Farmed Cyprinus carpio: A UHPLC-MS/MS-Based Traceability Strategy

In the context of the ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, illegal poaching for profit persists. To support the enforcement of this ban and protect the river's ecosystem, an efficient and precise method for distinguishing between wild and farmed common carp is essential. This study utilized ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) combined with metabolomics technology to analyze and compare the metabolic differences between wild and farmed common carp. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) revealed a clear separation between the two groups, which was further verified by metabolic fingerprint profiles. Moreover, 16 metabolites with high discriminatory potential were identified from 491 differentially metabolites, such as phytosphingosine, succinic acid and threonine. In addition, a cluster analysis of the differential metabolites classified them into four classes: peptides, fatty acyls, steroids and steroid derivatives, and glycerophospholipids. Furthermore, candidate biomarkers, including 3-hydroxybutyrylcarnitine, 3-hydroxyhexanoylcarnitine and jasminoside were identified to potential distinguish wild populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to apply metabolomics technology to differentiate wild from farmed common carp, providing a new theoretical basis for ecological restoration efforts in the context of the Yangtze River fishing ban.