Metabolomic Analysis of Plant Matrices: Identification of Compounds of Therapeutic and Nutraceutical Interest

Metabolomics, defined as the comprehensive study of metabolites within a cell, a tissue or an organism, offers enormous potential for characterization of plant matrixes. This approach enables the identification of bioactive compounds and understanding of the adaptation of plants to environmental stresses.

The goal of this Research Topic is to collect articles presenting modern metabolomic approaches for food and medicinal plants analysis. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics enable the comprehensive profiling of plant matrixes, allowing the recognition of metabolite fluctuations due to specific environmental conditions. These approaches permit the determination of the key metabolites influencing the nutritional and therapeutic quality of plant resources. The in-depth knowledge of these variations can be used to improve the nutritional and therapeutic quality of food and medicinal plants, optimizing growth conditions to maximize the production of metabolites of interest.

We welcome original research articles, case reports and reviews on plant metabolomics. The areas of this research topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Development of metabolomics analytical methods
• Spatial-temporal metabolomics for profiling food plants
• Spatial-temporal metabolomics for profiling medicinal plants
• Metabolomics of medicinal plants for standardization of herbal product quality
• Metabolomics for improving plant-based foods
• Metabolomics of plant cell cultures for food ingredients or bioactive compounds



Please note: Manuscripts addressing the traditional use of herbs, with reference to their applications in health should be directed to Frontiers in Pharmacology's section Ethnopharmacology

Keywords: metabolomics, plant, environmental stress, nutrition, bioactive compounds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.