Metabolomics Reveals Nutritional Diversity among Six Coarse Cereals and Antioxidant Activity Analysis of Grain Sorghum and Sweet Sorghum
Yao Zhao,
Guowei Zhai,
Xuetong Li,
Han Tao,
Linying Li,
Yuqing He,
Xueying Zhang,
Fulin Wang,
Gaojie Hong,
Ying Zhu
Affiliations
Yao Zhao
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Guowei Zhai
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Xuetong Li
Central Laboratory, State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Han Tao
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Linying Li
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Yuqing He
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Xueying Zhang
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Fulin Wang
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Gaojie Hong
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Ying Zhu
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Coarse cereals are rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, minerals, secondary metabolites, and other bioactive components, which exert numerous health benefits. To better understand the diversity of metabolites in different coarse cereals, we performed widely targeted metabolic profiling analyses of six popular coarse cereals, millet, coix, buckwheat, quinoa, oat, and grain sorghum, of which 768 metabolites are identified. Moreover, quinoa and buckwheat showed significantly different metabolomic profiles compared with other coarse cereals. Analysis of the accumulation patterns of common nutritional metabolites among six coarse cereals, we found that the accumulation of carbohydrates follows a conserved pattern in the six coarse cereals, while those of amino acids, vitamins, flavonoids, and lipids were complementary. Furthermore, the species-specific metabolites in each coarse cereal were identified, and the neighbor-joining tree for the six coarse cereals was constructed based on the metabolome data. Since sorghum contains more species-specific metabolites and occupies a unique position on the neighbor-joining tree, the metabolite differences between grain sorghum 654 and sweet sorghum LTR108 were finally compared specifically, revealing that LTR108 contained more flavonoids and had higher antioxidant activity than 654. Our work supports an overview understanding of nutrient value in different coarse cereals, which provides the metabolomic evidence for the healthy diet. Additionally, the superior antioxidant activity of sweet sorghum provides clues for its targeted uses.
