Differential Flavonoids and Carotenoids Profiles in Grains of Six Poaceae Crops
Jiaoyan Tang,
Xukai Li,
Yakun Zhang,
Yulu Yang,
Rong Sun,
Yajun Li,
Jianhua Gao,
Yuanhuai Han
Affiliations
Jiaoyan Tang
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Xukai Li
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Yakun Zhang
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Yulu Yang
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Rong Sun
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Yajun Li
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Jianhua Gao
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Yuanhuai Han
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crop Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Poaceae practically dominate staple crops for humans. In addition to the issue of sustenance, there is a growing interest in the secondary metabolites of these staple crops and their functions on health. In this study, metabolomic variations were investigated among six important species of Poaceae with a total of 17 cultivars, including wheat, maize, rice, sorghum, foxtail millet, and broomcorn millet. A total of 201 flavonoid metabolites and 29 carotenoid metabolites were identified based on the UPLC-ESI-MS/MS system. Among them, 114, 128, 101, 179, 113, and 92 flavonoids and 12, 22, 17, 15, 21, and 18 carotenoids were found in wheat, maize, rice, sorghum, foxtail millet, and broomcorn millet, respectively. Only 46 flavonoids and 8 carotenoids were shared by the six crops. Crop-specific flavonoids and carotenoids were identified. Flavone, anthocyanins, flavanone and polyphenol were the major metabolite differences, which showed species specificity. The flavonoid content of the grains from 17J1344 (sorghum), QZH and NMB (foxtail millet) and carotenoids from Mo17 (maize) were higher than the other samples. This study provides a better knowledge of the differences in flavonoid and carotenoid metabolites among Poaceae crops, as well as provides a theoretical basis for the identification of functional metabolites in these grains.
