Metabotype Dynamics of Market-Ripe Orange (Citrus sinensis) During Postharvest Ageing at Room Temperature
- 1Departamento de Química Orgánica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala s/n, Col. Santo Tomas, Delegación Miguel Hidalgo, Ciudad de Mexico 11340, Mexico
- 2Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Division of Digestive Diseases, Section of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
- 3Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Circuito Universitario s/n, Campus Uach II, Chihuahua, Chih. 31125, Mexico
Abstract
Objectives: To develop and apply a robust method using NMR-based metabolic phenotyping to characterise the metabolic changes occurring in commercially acquired, market-ripe orange (Citrus sinensis—a non-climacteric fruit) during postharvest ageing. Methods: Orange juice was obtained at different postharvest timepoints, based on morphological changes in the fruit (e.g., days 9, 30, and 35). The fruits were stored at room temperature (26 °C) and 60% relative humidity, throughout the study. The NMR spectra of the juice were collected and analysed using a semi-targeted approach alongside multivariate, correlation, and entropy analyses. Results: A robust method to assess the orange juice metabotype was developed with a total of 42 metabolites, of which two were unknowns, including phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, amino acids (essential, conditionally essential and non-essential), alcohols, and other metabolites that may have direct nutritional value. This method proved to be useful to monitor the progressive metabotype complexity derived from postharvest deterioration. Based on metabolite patterns across postharvest stages, correlation structures, and entropy values, the ageing and advanced-ageing metabotypes were defined at days 30 and 35, respectively. Conclusions: Phlorin, galacturonate, succinate, rhamnose and prolinebetaine were associated with ageing profiles, providing a basis for their potential use in targeted monitoring of orange postharvest ageing. These findings could support the future development of compact, affordable devices for rapid in situ assessment of postharvest ageing status, with potential benefits of supporting the preservation of product quality, nutritional and economic values.
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BibTeX
@article{montenegrosustaita2026metabotype,
title = {{Metabotype Dynamics of Market-Ripe Orange (Citrus sinensis) During Postharvest Ageing at Room Temperature}},
author = {Mabel M. Montenegro-Sustaita and José Iván Serrano-Contreras and Gabriela Torres-Santiago and Luis Gerardo Zepeda-Vallejo},
journal = {Metabolites},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/metabo16100735},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/10/735},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Metabotype Dynamics of Market-Ripe Orange (Citrus sinensis) During Postharvest Ageing at Room Temperature
AU - Mabel M. Montenegro-Sustaita
AU - José Iván Serrano-Contreras
AU - Gabriela Torres-Santiago
AU - Luis Gerardo Zepeda-Vallejo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Metabolites
DO - 10.3390/metabo16100735
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/10/735
AB - Objectives: To develop and apply a robust method using NMR-based metabolic phenotyping to characterise the metabolic changes occurring in commercially acquired, market-ripe orange (Citrus sinensis—a non-climacteric fruit) during postharvest ageing. Methods: Orange juice was obtained at different postharvest timepoints, based on morphological changes in the fruit (e.g., days 9, 30, and 35). The fruits were stored at room temperature (26 °C) and 60% relative humidity, throughout the study. The NMR spectra of the juice were collected and analysed using a semi-targeted approach alongside multivariate, correlation, and entropy analyses. Results: A robust method to assess the orange juice metabotype was developed with a total of 42 metabolites, of which two were unknowns, including phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, amino acids (essential, conditionally essential and non-essential), alcohols, and other metabolites that may have direct nutritional value. This method proved to be useful to monitor the progressive metabotype complexity derived from postharvest deterioration. Based on metabolite patterns across postharvest stages, correlation structures, and entropy values, the ageing and advanced-ageing metabotypes were defined at days 30 and 35, respectively. Conclusions: Phlorin, galacturonate, succinate, rhamnose and prolinebetaine were associated with ageing profiles, providing a basis for their potential use in targeted monitoring of orange postharvest ageing. These findings could support the future development of compact, affordable devices for rapid in situ assessment of postharvest ageing status, with potential benefits of supporting the preservation of product quality, nutritional and economic values.
SN - 2218-1989
ER -