Systematic Analysis of Nutritional Components and Characteristics in Red-Fleshed Dragon Fruit from Different Origins Using Non-Targeted Metabolomics

This research sought to analyze the nutritional composition of red-fleshed dragon fruit cultivated in various regions of Guizhou, focusing on samples obtained from three distinct production areas: Guanling (GL), Zhenfeng (ZF), and Luodian (LD). The findings revealed notable regional variations in nutritional constituents. Specifically, the GL samples exhibited the highest concentrations of betacyanin, vitamin C, total phenolics, and flavonoids; ZF samples demonstrated the greatest levels of soluble sugars alongside the lowest titratable acidity, whereas LD samples presented the opposite trend. Through non-targeted metabolomic profiling, a total of 4515 metabolites were identified. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), indicated that metabolic differences corresponded with geographical origin. Furthermore, the OPLS-DA S-plot identified L-Histidine, Glu-Leu, Uridine, Leu-Glu, (2S)-2-Isopropylmalate, 2-amino-4-({1-[(carboxymethyl)-C-hydroxycarbonimidoyl]-2-[(3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-oxobutan-2-yl}sulfanyl]ethyl)-C-hydroxycarbonimidoyl)butanoic acid, Leu-Leu-Ser-Pro-Tyr, 1,1′-bis(iso-13-carbon saturated acyl)-2-(iso-12-carbon saturated acyl)-3-[(9Z,11Z)-octadecadienoyl] cardiolipin. The eight characteristic metabolites under scrutiny can evidently differentiate dragon fruits from disparate regions and thus serve as potential markers for distinguishing their origins. This study offers a theoretical foundation for quality assessment, investigations into health benefits, and the sustainable advancement of the dragon fruit industry.