The genus Carthamus is a diverse group of plants belonging to the family Compositae. Florets of Carthamus species exhibit various colors, including white, yellow, orange, and red, which are related to their metabolite compositions. We aimed to investigate the metabolites accumulated in florets of three wild (C. lanatus, C. palaestinus, and C. turkestanicus) and one cultivated (C. tinctorius) species of safflower at three developmental stages. Metabolites were extracted from freeze-dried florets using 70% methanol; qualification and quantification were carried out using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in positive and negative ion modes followed by extraction of the peaks. Fifty-six metabolites, including phenylpropanoids, chalcones, isoflavonoids, flavanones, flavonols, flavones, and other primary metabolites, were identified for the first time in safflower wild species. The orange florets contained high abundances of safflomin A, anhydrosafflor yellow B, and baimaside, whereas white/cream and light-yellow pigmented florets had high abundances of 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, luteolin 7-O-glucuronide, and apigenin 7-O-β-D-glucuronide. The principal component analysis clearly distinguished the samples based on their pigment types, indicating that color is a dominant factor dictating the identity and amount of the metabolites. Pearson correlation data based on levels of metabolites showed that orange and yellow florets were significantly correlated to each other. White and cream pigmented species were also highly correlated. Comparison between three developmental stages of safflower wild species based on their metabolite profile showed inconsistent. The findings of this study broaden the current knowledge of safflower metabolism. The wide diversity of metabolites in safflower materials also helps in efforts to improve crop quality and agronomic traits.
Keywords: LC-ESI-QTOF-MS; florets; metabolites; pigment; safflower wild species.