Metabolomic profile of edible Amazonian Arecaceae fruits by FT-ICR-MS: insights into chemical, nutritional and antioxidant profiles

Abstract

Amazonian palm fruits (Arecaceae), including açaí (Euterpe oleracea), pupunha (Bactris gasipaes), buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba), and tucuma ̃ (Astrocaryum aculeatum) are traditionally consumed for their nutritional and therapeutic properties, yet their comprehensive metabolomic characterization remains limited. Here, an integrative foodomics approach combining untargeted and targeted analyses was applied. Direct infusion FT-ICR-MS enabled the annotation of over 10,000 molecular formulas, revealing extensive chemical diversity. Van Krevelen diagrams and chemometric analyses (HCA, PCA, PLS-DA) highlighted distinct metab- olomic signatures across species. Targeted assays showed that açaí and pupunha exhibited the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the strongest antioxidant activities, comparable with Trolox, while tucuma ̃ presented the highest folate content (132.64 μg/100 g DW) These findings demonstrate associations between molecular composition and functional properties. This work represents the first FT-ICR-MS-based metabolomic characterization of these fruits, expanding current knowledge and providing a robust framework for theirvalorization in food and nutraceutical applications.