Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey

Buckwheat honey is known for its high antioxidant activity, yet the compounds responsible for this effect have not been fully identified. This study used LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics to investigate the metabolite profile of buckwheat honey and its relationship with antioxidant activity and to...

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Main Authors: Emilia Pogoda, Piotr Marek Kuś
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/10/2198
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author Emilia Pogoda
Piotr Marek Kuś
author_facet Emilia Pogoda
Piotr Marek Kuś
author_sort Emilia Pogoda
collection DOAJ
description Buckwheat honey is known for its high antioxidant activity, yet the compounds responsible for this effect have not been fully identified. This study used LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics to investigate the metabolite profile of buckwheat honey and its relationship with antioxidant activity and total phenolic content, assessed by DPPH, FRAP, and Folin–Ciocalteu assays. A key objective was also to optimize data preprocessing parameters to improve the accuracy and robustness of metabolomic analyses. Multivariate analyses (PCA, OPLS-DA) effectively differentiated honey samples with high and low antioxidant potential. A total of 43 features were associated with increased antioxidant activity and about 30 compounds, including organic acids, free amino acids, and Amadori compounds—early Maillard reaction products—were identified. The amounts of most of these compounds exhibited strong positive correlation (r > 0.8) with measured antioxidant potential. These findings suggest that, in addition to polyphenols, other compound classes such as melanoidin precursors known as transition metal chelators significantly contribute to the antioxidant properties of buckwheat honey. This approach provides valuable insight into the bioactive composition of honey and supports the identification of potential antioxidant markers.
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spelling doaj-art-60daaaf04e4e4b3b9ae53cb7dddb4e4d2025-08-20T02:34:01ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-05-013010219810.3390/molecules30102198Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat HoneyEmilia Pogoda0Piotr Marek Kuś1Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. Borowska 211a, 50-556 Wrocław, PolandDepartment of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. Borowska 211a, 50-556 Wrocław, PolandBuckwheat honey is known for its high antioxidant activity, yet the compounds responsible for this effect have not been fully identified. This study used LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics to investigate the metabolite profile of buckwheat honey and its relationship with antioxidant activity and total phenolic content, assessed by DPPH, FRAP, and Folin–Ciocalteu assays. A key objective was also to optimize data preprocessing parameters to improve the accuracy and robustness of metabolomic analyses. Multivariate analyses (PCA, OPLS-DA) effectively differentiated honey samples with high and low antioxidant potential. A total of 43 features were associated with increased antioxidant activity and about 30 compounds, including organic acids, free amino acids, and Amadori compounds—early Maillard reaction products—were identified. The amounts of most of these compounds exhibited strong positive correlation (r > 0.8) with measured antioxidant potential. These findings suggest that, in addition to polyphenols, other compound classes such as melanoidin precursors known as transition metal chelators significantly contribute to the antioxidant properties of buckwheat honey. This approach provides valuable insight into the bioactive composition of honey and supports the identification of potential antioxidant markers.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/10/2198buckwheat honeyantioxidant activityuntargeted metabolomicsLC-MSamadori compounds
spellingShingle Emilia Pogoda
Piotr Marek Kuś
Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey
Molecules
buckwheat honey
antioxidant activity
untargeted metabolomics
LC-MS
amadori compounds
title Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey
title_full Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey
title_fullStr Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey
title_full_unstemmed Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey
title_short Application of Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics to Reveal Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Buckwheat Honey
title_sort application of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry based untargeted metabolomics to reveal metabolites related to antioxidant activity in buckwheat honey
topic buckwheat honey
antioxidant activity
untargeted metabolomics
LC-MS
amadori compounds
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/10/2198
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AT piotrmarekkus applicationofliquidchromatographymassspectrometrybaseduntargetedmetabolomicstorevealmetabolitesrelatedtoantioxidantactivityinbuckwheathoney