Abstract: In order to reveal the differences in metabolites among Furong plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) with different maturity periods and the changes in metabolites during low-temperature (4 ℃) storage, fruits picked at commercial maturity (F) or fresh-eating maturity (S) and stored at 4 ℃ for 0, 28, and 56 days (denoted as stages 0, 1, and 2, respectively) were studied by widely targeted metabolomics. The results showed that there were significant differences in metabolites among the experimental groups. A total of 103 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were detected between F0 and S0, with phenolic acids and flavonoids being the major ones, accounting for 52.43% of the total. Moreover, 28 shared DAMs were identified among F0, F1 and F2 and 38 among S0, S1 and S2. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway enrichment analysis, the major DAMs between F0 and S0, secondary metabolites including phenolic acids and flavonoids, were annotated into 4 significantly enriched metabolic pathways. The significantly enriched metabolic pathways at stages 0-1 or 1-2 were highly similar between the two maturities, while the major annotated significantly enriched metabolites at stages 0-1 were amino acids, their derivatives and organic acids, and those at stages 1-2 were organic acids, nucleotides and their derivatives. These results provide a scientific basis for investigating the quality and flavor formation of Furong plum, as well as the trend of metabolites during low temperature storage.

Key words: Furong plum; maturity; low temperature storage; widely targeted metabolomics; metabolites