Abstract:

Metabolomics is defined as the quantitative and qualitative measurement of all the endogenous small-molecule
metabolites within a biological system as well as its dynamic response to external and internal factors. In recent years,
metabolomics techniques have become important research tools in food science and have been widely applied in the
detection of nonvolatile compounds present in plant-derived materials used for processing or direct consumption. This
paper summarizes the major technical platforms, research procedures and statistical methods involved in metabolomics. The
current applications and future trends of metabolomics techniques in authentication and classification of plant-derived foods,
assessment of their quality and safety, and dynamic monitoring of the raw materials.

Key words: metabolomics, plant-derived food, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS)