Identification of anthocyanins in the fruits of Kadsura coccinea using UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics

Fruit color is thought to be an adaptation to different animal pollinators, the fruits of Kadsura coccinea present diverse colors but the metabolic mechanism of the differences in color still needs further clarification. Here, we performed ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on targeted metabolome analysis of the fruits of two K. coccinea cultivars, 'Dahong No. 1' (red-peel) and 'Jinhu' (yellow-peel). A total of seventeen anthocyanins were identified in the fruit peels of 'Dahong No. 1', whereas no anthocyanins were detected in 'Jinhu'. Our results suggest that the color differences between the two cultivars can be explained by variations in abundance of cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside, accounting for 91.64% of the content of total anthocyanins. This study provides new insights into the underlying metabolic causes of color variation in K. coccinea fruits, and thus provides a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of K. coccinea fruits in the future.

Automated summary

This study used targeted metabolome analysis to investigate the metabolic mechanisms underlying color differences in Kadsura coccinea fruits, revealing significant variations in anthocyanin content between different cultivars. The results provide new insights into the metabolic causes of color variation in K. coccinea fruits, laying a theoretical foundation for the future development and utilization of these fruits.