Distinct Quality Changes of Asparagus during Growth by Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis

Asparagus is a popular vegetable and traditional medicine
consumed
worldwide due to its health benefits. The quality of asparagus, mainly
attributed to small components like flavonoids and steroid, is quite
differential as a result of different environments and maturities.
However, the accumulation pattern and regulatory mechanism of metabolites
in asparagus remain unclear so far. Herein, widely targeted metabolomics
analysis was employed to study the quality and chemical composition
variances of four asparagus, including three green asparagus of different
maturities and one white asparagus. A total of 1045 metabolites were
annotated in asparagus in which flavonoids and phenolic acids accounted
for 37.51% of the total. Green asparagus was found to be rich in flavonoids,
while white asparagus contained more steroids. Additionally, 461 biomarkers
were screened between matured green and white asparagus, which is
much more than that filtered among three green asparagus at different
growth stages. These results indicated that sunlight has a stronger
effect on the metabolism of asparagus compared to the general development
of asparagus. Linoleic acid metabolism and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism
were active during green asparagus growth, while flavone and flavonol
biosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis resulted as two of the most
important pathways when asparagus was exposed to sunlight.