A Taste Model for Mango
Mango is an exotic fruit, which grows mainly in warmer climates and is shipped to export markets around the world.
Mangos often need to be harvested early to arrive in ripeness stage in the supermarket. The fruit has therefore little time on the plant to develop flavour. Also, the skin colour of a mango is no indication of ripeness and flavour. Therefore the consumer has to test the firmness of each mango. This is undesirable for both consumer and the quality of the fruit. 
To understand mango flavour and its correlation with ripeness, Metabolomic Discoveries has used its Flavour Profiler platform to screen for flavour components contributing to ripe and unripe mangos. The ultimate goal of this study is to define metabolites measurable on the skin of a mango to develop a simple test indication for ripeness and as such flavour.
A consumer panel scored the taste and degree of ripeness of 18 mangos. The Flavour Profiler platform was employed to screen for the metabolic composition and to develop a mathematical model linking taste and ripeness with the metabolic profiles. The built model shows that unripe can clearly be separated from ripe mangos (Figure 1).
Furthermore, taste metabolites differentiating good from bad taste can be clearly separated. When this model is fed with new mango samples, it allows to predict with a chance of over 80% their ripeness and taste (Figure 2).
Further in depth analysis of the data and studying the basis of the predictive model reveal that mainly sugar and sugar conjugates contribute to a ripe and flavourful mango experience, while organic acids and amino acids determine a rather unripe and negative taste experience.
CONCLUSION
Mango flavour can be linked to a set of metabolites and clearly linked to the degree of ripeness. With this knowledge it is only a little step to develop a consumer and mango friendly ripeness and flavour test.
go to Flavour Profiler
Last Updated on Thursday, 08 November 2012 11:36
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Compound Identification Case Study
Our high resolution metabolomics platform in combination with advanced bioinformatics tools allows the identification of many hundreds of known and unknown metabolites. Using high mass accuracy and structure prediction software allows to calculate and identify very precisely unknown compounds.
In one of our studies, the multivariate analysis revealed an unknown compound to be strongly linked to the productivity and growth of the cells. Accurate mass measurements allowed to calculate the sum formula, which led to three potential candidate metabolites (see Table). The exact compound was identified using the mass accuracy of our metabolomics platform, fragmentation power and Agilent structure elucidation and prediction software. Our analytical experts validated Hexanoyl-Homoserine lactone as the unidentified compound, which influenced fermentation. This metabolite plays an important role in quorum sensing, thus microorganism communication. In this case the signal was triggered by the cells upon reaching an unfavourable energetic stage and consequently led to a growth and productivity stop.
Last Updated on Saturday, 10 November 2012 11:30
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Herbicide Mode-of-Action Discovery
In the search for more efficacious herbicides, knowledge concerning the biochemical mode of action (MoA) is desirable for a number of reasons. Investigations at the level of the metabolite have been demonstrated to represent effective diagnostic approaches. The metabolic profile of plants treated with herbicides with known MoAs show in most cases the greatest changes around the target site, which can thus be identified. Therefore Metabolic Profiling can be used for different approaches.
• Different herbicides can be grouped according to their MoA. New compounds with known MoAs can therefore easily be allocated using Metabolic Fingerprinting. It can complement or even replace ordinary tests.
• Previously used tests mainly address known MoAs. Metabolite Profiling has the potential to reveal the target site of new compounds by following the most dramatically changed metabolites.
Last Updated on Thursday, 08 November 2012 11:36
Hits: 2143