Metabolomic Analysis in Food Science

Dear Colleagues,

Metabolomics is an “-omic” science devoted to the study of the whole set of metabolites (metabolome) in a biological matrix. Because metabolites are the end-products of all cellular activities and their levels in a living organism can change according to genetic or environmental factors, metabolomics could easily provide a global overview of the modifications in a biological system due to the complex interactions between genes and the external environment. The metabolic composition of agricultural products is influenced by several stimuli, including growing conditions such as the chemical composition of soil, irrigation, temperature, altitude, etc. All these factors contribute to the definition of the food phenotype, which is reflected in a specific metabolic fingerprint. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, the main analytical techniques employed to run metabolomic experiments, are reliable tools to analyse the chemical features of foodstuffs and to provide information about the origin, traceability, and authenticity of agricultural products, as well as about their physiological response to handling/storage/processing protocols. Agricultural practices, post-harvest treatments, and food processing have a great impact on the metabolic composition of resulting foods; thus, metabolomics has an emerging role in monitoring the influence of different manufacturing procedures on food quality and food safety. Finally, because the metabolic composition of foodstuffs (e.g., wine, beer, oil, and coffee) is directly connected to the flavors perceived by the consumer, metabolomic analyses can help in deciphering the connection between organoleptic properties and the chemical composition of foods and beverages.

This Special Issue will include original research papers and reviews that address the above-mentioned topics using state-of-the-art metabolomic techniques. Methodological contributions that pursue advancements in metabolomic data acquisition and analysis for food science will be also considered. Conversely, the effects of different foods, diets, and nutritional habits on human physiology are out of the scope of this Issue.

Dr. Leonardo Tenori
Dr. Stefano Brizzolara
Guest Editors

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