Revealing the sterilization impact on paprika fingerprint: Key markers identified using untargeted metabolomics by liquid chromatography-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 463; no. Pt 3; p. 141385
• Main Authors: Rivera-Pérez, Araceli, Acosta Motos, Manuel, Garrido Frenich, Antonia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.01.2025
• Subjects: Chemometrics; Food authenticity; Foodomics; High-resolution mass spectrometry; Markers; Multivariate data analysis; Untargeted metabolomics; Markers; High-resolution mass spectrometry; Food authenticity; Foodomics; Chemometrics; Multivariate data analysis; Untargeted metabolomics
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141385

Paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) is a popular spice known for its unique properties. Spices are susceptible to microbiological risks arising from harvest factors such as high moisture or environmental contamination. To ensure microbiological safety, post-harvest processing based on heat sterilization, free of chemicals and radiation, is becoming essential in the European market. This study introduces a novel metabolomics approach using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole-Orbitrap-high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to assess the sterilization impact on paprika's metabolomic composition. Sterilized and untreated samples were distinguished by OPLS-DA, achieving perfect predictability with high-quality parameters (R2Y = 0.988, Q2 = 0.904). The methodology identified 19 key markers, including fatty acids, amino acids, etc. Sterilization reduced fatty acids such as linoleic acid but increased other metabolites such as DL-malic acid and flazin. This research introduces new metabolomics strategies to ensure paprika quality and other valuable spices, focusing on unexplored sterilization processes. [Display omitted] •Novel workflow to assess the impact of sterilization on paprika fingerprint.•Sterilized vs. control paprika was distinguished by OPLS-DA (Q2 = 0.904).•19 markers were noticed to discriminate sterilized vs. untreated samples.•Sterilization led to an overall decrease in markers of the fatty acid signature.•Other metabolites (such as flazin or DL-malic acid) increased after treatment.