“Effect of agroecological and conventional farming systems on the metabolomic profile of yellow and red maize assessed by 1H NMR”

The growing demand for nutritionally high-quality foods produced under sustainable schemes has driven evaluation of how agricultural systems influence maize chemical composition. Conventional agriculture relies heavily on chemical inputs, affecting environmental sustainability and grain quality, whereas agroecological systems represent a lower-impact alternative; however, their effects on the metabolome of native maize remain insufficiently understood. This study compared the metabolomic profiles of two native Mexican maize varieties, Zamorano yellow (MZ) and Chalqueño red (PR), cultivated under agroecological and conventional management. ¹H NMR spectroscopy with PCA and OPLS-DA analyses was used to identify differential metabolites. Metabolic discrimination between management systems was observed. Agroecological management affected tricarboxylic acid cycle, pyruvate, and glyoxylate metabolism in MZ, and amino acid biosynthesis and sugar metabolism in PR, increasing the abundance of 17 metabolites in MZ and 15 in PR. These findings highlight the potential of agroecological management to enhance maize nutritional quality within sustainable production systems.