Effect of glycinebetaine on metabolite profiles of cold-stored strawberry revealed by 1H NMR-based metabolomics

Shan Huang; Si Ying Lim; Hazel Lau; Wuzhong Ni; Sam Fong Yau Li

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133452

Effect of glycinebetaine on metabolite profiles of cold-stored strawberry revealed by ¹H NMR-based metabolomics

Food Chem. 2022 Nov 1:393:133452. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133452. Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Authors

Shan Huang¹, Si Ying Lim², Hazel Lau², Wuzhong Ni³, Sam Fong Yau Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
² Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
³ College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China. Electronic address: wzni@zju.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore; NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI), #02-01, T-Lab Building (TL), 5A Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117411, Singapore. Electronic address: chmlifys@nus.edu.sg.

PMID: 35751219
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133452

Abstract

Glycinebetaine (GB) has long been used as a preservative for refrigerated fruits, but the effect of GB on the global metabolites of cold-stored strawberries is still unclear. In this study, the effects of exogenous application of GB on quality-related metabolites of cold-stored strawberries were investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic analysis. The results showed that the application of GB (especially at the concentration of 10 mM) on cold-stored strawberries effectively stabilized the sugars (d-xylose and d-glucose) and amino acids (tyrosine, leucine, and tryptophan) content, and lowered the acid (acetic acid) content as well. Additionally, the GB content in strawberries also increased. This implies that the appropriate concentration of GB is a natural and safe treatment, which could maintain the quality of cold-stored strawberries by regulating levels of quality-related metabolites, and the ingestion of GB-preserved strawberries may serve as a source of methyl-donor supplementation in our daily diet.

Keywords: Cold-storage; Glycinebetaine; Metabolomics; NMR; Strawberry.

MeSH terms

Betaine / analysis
Fragaria* / chemistry
Fruit / chemistry
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Metabolomics
Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Substances

Betaine