Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Color-Dependent Nutritional Variation in Raisins: Insights into Composition and...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Raisins (dried Vitis vinifera L. grapes) are globally consumed, with consumer preference influenced by visual traits like color.
• Consumers often select raisins based on appearance, lacking awareness of the link between color and nutritional value.
• Understanding raisin metabolomics and antioxidant properties can guide healthier consumer choices and product innovation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nutritional variations among differently colored raisins using non-targeted metabolomics.
• To quantify differences in antioxidant capacity correlated with raisin color.
• To identify key metabolites contributing to antioxidant activity and potential health benefits.

Main Methods:

• Non-targeted metabolomics analysis of green, red, and black raisins.
• Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis.
• Correlation analysis between total antioxidant capacity and identified differential metabolites.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in metabolite profiles were observed across raisin colors compared to green raisins.
• Antioxidant capacity increased with raisin darkness, showing a positive correlation with specific metabolites.
• Black raisins exhibited substantially higher syringetin levels, contributing to their enhanced antioxidant capacity.

Conclusions:

• Raisin color is a reliable indicator of antioxidant potential and nutritional composition.
• Specific metabolites, like syringetin, play a crucial role in the health benefits of darker raisins.
• Findings support informed consumer selection of raisins for health and guide the development of raisin-based health products.