Untargeted LC–MS/MS reveals farming practice- and cultivar-dependent remodeling of the oat grain foodome

Abstract This study investigates the grain foodome of ten oat cultivars grown at two conventional and one organic farming site in Denmark using untargeted LC-MS/MS. More than 1,000 metabolite features were detected, of which > 200 were annotated using spectral libraries and computational mass spectrometry tools. Among these, nearly 140 metabolites differed significantly between farming practices, including phenolics, phenolic amides, and steroidal saponins involved in plant defense and stress adaptation. Oat grown under organic practice showed higher levels of hydroxycinnamic acids, avenanthramides, and steroidal saponins, including compounds associated with antioxidant, defense, and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition, 45 metabolites showed cultivar-dependent variation, particularly apigenin-derived flavones, lignans, and lipid-derived metabolites involved in plant signaling and stress responses. Overall, the results reveal distinct metabolic signatures associated with farming practice and cultiva in the oat grain foodome.