GC–MS based metabolite profiling for flavor characterization of Brassica crops grown with different fertilizer application

Abstract

In order to supply pleasant foods in ordinal dietary, improving crop quality by applying effective growth conditions is a desirable but challenging approach. In this study, to determine the sensory quality of mizuna (Brassica rapa L. var. Nipposinica), one of a Brassica leafy crops grown with different fertilizer application, GC–MS based hydrophilic metabolites and volatiles as well as sensory attributes were measured. Clusters of applied fertilizer condition were significantly divided between with or without manure amendments within all the variances including sensory and metabolite data. Projection to latent structures regression analyzes revealed that l-glutamine, l-asparagine, and other amino acids negatively correlated with bitterness, whereas raffinose, maltose, and malic acid positively correlated with bitterness. Furthermore glucosinolate breakdown products, particularly allyl isothiocyanate revealed a strong positive correlation with Brassica specific wasabi-like sharpness. Based on the comprehensive view of both metabolite and sensory profiling, the perspective for improvement in sensory quality is discussed.