Comprehensive metabolite profiling in fruits of different Prunus cultivars

Variations in metabolite profiles among Prunus cultivars shape fruit flavor and overall quality, and ultimately determine consumer preference. To comprehensively evaluate the metabolic quality of various Prunus cultivars, we adopted an integrated extraction strategy to obtain distinct metabolite fractions from identical samples. In this work, seven predominant Prunus cultivars from Xinjiang, China were investigated, 382 volatile metabolites and 417 non-volatile metabolites were identified, where phenols were detected as the dominant secondary metabolites and esters were abundant volatile metabolites. 'Black' displayed greater antioxidant activity relative to other cultivars, due to its more than four-fold higher content of pyroglutamic acid, glutamine, and γ-dodecalactone. Additionally, network pharmacology analysis confirmed that the metabolites maybe associated with diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Collectively, this study for the first time elucidates the full metabolite profile in Prunus, and provides practical guidance for consumer choices as well as a solid theoretical foundation for selective breeding of Prunus.