Summary of Study ST004299
This data is available at the NIH Common Fund's National Metabolomics Data Repository (NMDR) website, the Metabolomics Workbench, https://www.metabolomicsworkbench.org, where it has been assigned Project ID PR002715. The data can be accessed directly via it's Project DOI: 10.21228/M8QC3B This work is supported by NIH grant, U2C- DK119886. See: https://www.metabolomicsworkbench.org/about/howtocite.php
| Study ID | ST004299 |
| Study Title | Mediterranean Quercus acorns as functional foods: Phytochemical profile, metabolomic insights, and nutritional potential |
| Study Type | Untargeted metabolomics |
| Study Summary | The genus Quercus has attracted increasing interest due to its potential for the valorization of underutilized natural resources. Most metabolomic studies to date have focused on Quercus ilex because of its ecological and economic importance in the Mediterranean basin; however, other Mediterranean Quercus species may also represent valuable sources of bioactive compounds. In this study, we collected acorns from eight Quercus species and analyzed their nutritional and phytochemical profiles. Classical biochemical assays based on colorimetric reactions were performed, together with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for rapid compositional analysis. We also determined the amino acid profiles and conducted untargeted metabolomic profiling using UHPLC-MS/MS after metabolite extraction. Our results revealed clear nutritional and metabolomic differences associated with leaf habit: evergreen and deciduous species displayed distinct metabolic signatures in their acorns. Despite these differences, the set of annotated metabolites showed a substantial number of compounds common to all species, highlighting Quercus acorns as a rich source of nutraceutical molecules, including several flavonoids, hydrolyzable tannins, cinnamic acids, coumarins, and terpenoids. |
| Institute | University of Cordoba |
| Department | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| Laboratory | AGR-164 |
| Last Name | Tienda-Parrilla |
| First Name | Marta |
| Address | Campus de Rabanales, Edificio C6 Severo Ochoa, Ctra. Madrid, Km 396. 14071 Córdoba, Spain |
| b72tipam@uco.es | |
| Phone | +34 634925272 |
| Submit Date | 2025-10-15 |
| Raw Data Available | Yes |
| Raw Data File Type(s) | mzML |
| Analysis Type Detail | LC-MS |
| Release Date | 2025-10-20 |
| Release Version | 1 |
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Collection:
| Collection ID: | CO004445 |
| Collection Summary: | Acorns from eight European Quercus species (Q. ilex subsp. ballota, Q. ilex subsp. ilex, Q. faginea, Q. suber, Q. coccifera, Q. robur, Q. petraea, and Q. pubescens) were kindly provided by the National Centre for Forest Genetic Resources “El Serranillo” of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Spain). Acorns were harvested at maturity during the 2023–2024 season. Healthy acorns were surface-sterilized in 10% sodium hypochlorite for 10 min, rinsed, and stored at 4 °C in darkness. For each group, ten acorns were measured for weight, volume, length, and width. Acorns were scarified, seed coats removed, and tissues ground in liquid nitrogen to obtain flour, later lyophilized and stored in a desiccator at 4 °C until analysis. Phytochemical assays were performed in triplicate using three biological replicates, each consisting of a pooled sample of ten acorns. NOTE: Quercus rubra was included in our experiment as an internal negative control, since it is a North American species, while all the other species studied are Mediterranean. It was only used to confirm the geographic origin and distinct metabolic profile of the other samples. |
| Sample Type: | Fruit |
