Comparative non-targeted metabolomics reveals differentiation of biochemical pathway network among fruits of natural populations and Cv. Alphonso of mango ( Mangifera indica L.)

The focus of the metabolomic studies of mango fruit (Mangifera indica L.) so far has been mostly towards flavor and pulp quality metabolites and their biogenesis in domesticated cultivars. These studies are reliant on techniques, viz., gas chromatography and headspace solid-phase micro-extraction, and recently liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Here, we performed comparative untargeted metabolite analysis to understand flavor differentiation as fruit-specific changes in various biochemical pathways among Cv. Alphonso and two different natural mango populations from the Western Ghats, India. Significant stage-specific metabolome variations among these fruit sets were identified through principal component analysis. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis suggested quantitative expression variance in housekeeping and specialized metabolic pathways from the natural populations and Alphonso through network map for all the predominant biochemical pathways. The metabolites found in this study might be involved in growth and development processes, flavour, shelf-life, species interaction, and defences correlating with important general functions previously reported from mango and other fruits.