Dynamic Characterization of Antioxidant-Related, Non-Volatile, and Volatile Metabolite Profiles of Cherry Tomato During Ripening

作者：Zhimiao Li, Sihui Guan, Rongqing Wang, Meiying Ruan, Qingjing Ye, Zhuping Yao, Chenxu Liu, Hongjian Wan, Guozhi Zhou, Yuan Cheng · 发表于：Antioxidants · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/antiox14111359 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management、Edible Oils Quality and Analysis、Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress

Cherry tomato is a notable dietary source of metabolites associated with antioxidant functions. However, how ripening reshapes primary, specialized, and volatile metabolites remains incompletely resolved. Green-ripe and red-ripe fruits were comparatively analyzed using targeted HPLC assays for quality indices and vitamins, UPLC-MS/MS for non-volatile metabolites, and HS-SPME-GC-MS for volatiles. Ripening was accompanied by a pronounced accumulation of lycopene and an increase in soluble solids, reflecting a shift of sugars toward glucose and fructose while sucrose remained low. Organic acids declined overall, with citric acid remaining predominant. The free-amino-acid pool expanded, with redistribution from GABA toward glutamate and aspartate. Vitamins exhibited stage-dependent patterns; antioxidant-related vitamins (A, E, and C) were higher at the red-ripe stage, indicating a compositional enhancement relevant to nutritional quality. Non-volatile metabolomics revealed 618 differentially accumulated metabolites, with phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, and lipids as major classes. Phenolic acids and flavonols, dominated by hydroxycinnamoyl-quinic acids and quercetin/kaempferol glycosides, accumulated at the red-ripe stage, whereas steroidal glycoalkaloids decreased, suggesting conversion away from bitter or anti-nutritional constituents. GC-MS profiling identified 788 volatiles, with esters, terpenoids, and ketones contributing more than half of the volatilome...