Differences in the metabolite profiles of tender leaves of wheat, barley, rye and Triticale based on LC-MS

Wheatgrass has emerged as a functional food source in recent years, but the detailed metabolomics basis for its health benefits remains poorly understood. In this study, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis were used to study the metabolic profiling of seedlings from wheat, barley, rye and triticale, which revealed 1800 features in positive mode and 4303 features in negative mode. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed clear differences between species, and 164 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were detected, including amino acids, organic acids, lipids, fatty acids, nucleic acids, flavonoids, amines, polyamines, vitamins, sugar derivatives and others. Unique metabolites in each species were identified. This study provides a glimpse into the metabolomics profiles of wheat and its wild relatives, which may form an important basis for nutrition, health and other parameters. Practical ApplicationThis manuscript present liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) results of young sprouts of common wheat and its relatives. Our results may help to better understand the natural variation due to the genotype before metabolomics data are considered for application to wheatgrass and can provide a basis (assessment) for its potential pharmaceutical and nutritional value.