MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Metabolomics Analysis of Morchella sp. from Different Geographical Origins of China Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS

Summary

This research analyzed the chemical composition of morel mushrooms from different regions in China to develop a method for determining their geographical origin and quality. Using advanced analytical techniques, researchers identified specific chemical markers that could distinguish morels grown in different areas. This has important implications for everyday life: • Helps consumers verify the authenticity and origin of morel mushrooms they purchase • Enables better quality control and fair pricing of morels in the market • Supports development of improved cultivation methods for different regions • Contributes to food safety by allowing better traceability of mushroom products • Provides scientific basis for standardizing morel production and trade practices

Background

The morel mushroom (Morchella sp.) is one of the most highly-prized edible fungi with increasing cultivation and commercial popularity in China. However, optimized methods for quality evaluation and constituent analysis of Morchella sp. are still lacking, which impedes the healthy and sustainable development of this industry. By the end of 2019, China’s total annual morel output reached 72.47 thousand tons, making it the world’s largest producer of cultivated morels.

Objective

To characterize metabolic profiles of morels from different origins in China and identify salient metabolites representative of specific areas using an untargeted UPLC-Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics approach. The study aimed to evaluate the nutritional properties of morels and contribute to discriminating their geographical origins.

Results

The analysis identified 32 significantly different metabolites assigned to lipids (19), organic acids (9), amino acids (3), and ketones (1) that could distinguish the geographic-segregation samples. These metabolites served as molecular markers indicative of specific regions. The lipid, protein and amino acid metabolism pathways were found to be responsible for geographic differences as revealed by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.

Conclusion

The study successfully pioneered a high-throughput methodology to evaluate quality of Morchella sp. and distinguish geographical origins in a sensitive, rapid and efficient manner. The research also revealed potential links between physiochemical variation and geological origins from a metabolic perspective, which may benefit the advancement of the edible fungi industry and establishment of food traceability systems.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Nutrition,
  • Study Type:Analytical Research,
  • Source: 10.3389/fnut.2022.865531
Scroll to Top