Abstract: Purpose: To investigate the difference in metabolites between Yangshan honey peach and Changzhou, Nanhui and Xinyi honey peach using a non-target metabolomics approach. Methods: The metabolomics profile of Yangshan honey peach was investigated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) with principal component analysis (PCA), and differential analysis of metabolites and metabolic pathways. Results: A total of 74 metabolites were identified, and the predominant metabolites in the pulp of honey peach were neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, procyanidin B2, epicatechin, catechin and L-malic acid. Differential metabolites were successfully selected between Yangshan honey peach and Changzhou, Nanhui and Xinyi honey peach. A total of 10 differential metabolites including madecassic acid were found in Changzhou honey peach, 13 differential metabolites including procyanidin B3 in Nanhui honey peach, and 15 differential metabolites including procyanidin C1 in Xinyi honey peach. These compounds were potential biomarkers to distinguish Yangshan honey peach from honey peaches from other regions. Metabolic pathway analyses identified a total of 11 differential metabolic pathways, with significant differences in the metabolism of plant polyphenols such as quercetin, organic acids such as cis-aconitic acid, and amino acids such as L-valine being observed among honey peaches from different regions, which may affect the antioxidant properties, sweetness, and aroma of fresh peaches. Conclusion: Non-target metabolomics is feasible for the identification of honey peaches from different regions, which can provide a theoretical basis for the identification of Yangshan honey peach, and is of practical significance for the protection of the specialty industry of Yangshan honey peach.

Key words: honey peach; metabolomics; ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry; chemometrics