Methyl jasmonate hormone can stimulate the production of several metabolites responsible for improving fruit quality and nutritional attributes related to human health. In this context, efforts to manipulate tomatoes, such as using hormonal treatment to increase metabolite levels essential to plant growth and human nutrition, have received considerable attention. The aim of this study was to show the impact of metabolic profile on fruit quality and nutritional properties under exogenous methyl jasmonate during fruit ripening. The treatments were performed using 100 ppm of methyl jasmonate and 100 ppm of gaseous ethylene over 24 h. Ethylene emission, fruit surface color and metabolomics analysis were measured at 4, 10, and 21 days after harvest, considering the untreated fruits as control group. Methyl jasmonate induced the production of amino acids—mainly glutamine, glutamic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid (at least 14-fold higher)—and fatty acids—mainly oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids (at least three-fold higher than untreated fruits); while exogenous ethylene predominantly affected sugar metabolism, increasing the levels of fructose, mannose and glucose to at least two-fold that levels in the untreated fruits. Additionally, methyl jasmonate significantly affected secondary metabolites, inducing by at least 80% the accumulation of α-tocopherol and β-sitosterol in fully ripe fruits. Our results suggest that the postharvest application of the hormone methyl jasmonate can contribute to the sensory characteristics and increase the nutritional value of the fruits since important changes related to the tomato metabolome were associated with compounds responsible for the fruit quality and health benefits.

Hesperidin and narirutin are the major flavanones present in orange juice, and they have been associated with a reduction in risk of cardiometabolic disease.

Large interindividual variations in the biological response to citrus flavanones have been observed, and this could be associated with high variations in their bioavailability. The aim of this study was to identify the main determinants underlying interindividual differences in citrus flavanone metabolism and excretion. In a randomized cross-over study, non-obese and obese volunteers, aged 19–40 years, ingested single doses of Pera and Moro orange juices, and urine was collected for 24 h. A large difference in the recovery of the urinary flavanone phase II metabolites was observed, with hesperetin-sulfate and hesperetin-sulfo-O-glucuronide being the major metabolites. Subjects were stratified according to their total excretion of flavanone metabolites as high, medium, and low excretors, but the expected correlation with the microbiome was not observed at the genus level. A second stratification was proposed according to phase II flavanone metabolism, whereby participants were divided into two excretion groups: Profiles A and B. Profile B individuals showed greater biotransformation of hesperetin-sulfate to hesperetin-sulfo-O-glucuronide, as well as transformation of flavanone-monoglucuronide to the respective diglucuronides, suggestive of an influence of polymorphisms on UDP-glucuronosyltransferase. In conclusion, this study proposes a new stratification of volunteers based on their metabolic profiles. Gut microbiota composition and polymorphisms of phase II enzymes may be related to the interindividual variability of metabolism.

The application of exogenous jasmonate can stimulate the production of ethylene, carotenoids, and aroma compounds and accelerate fruit ripening. These alterations improve fruit quality and make fruit desirable for human consumption. However, fruit over-ripening results in large losses of fruit crops. This problem is overcome by applying 1-methylcyclopropene to the fruits, due to its capacity to block the ethylene receptors, suppressing fruit ripening. In this study, treatments with only 1-methylcyclopropene and both 1-methylcyclopropene and methyl jasmonate were administered to observe whether exogenous methyl jasmonate can improve the metabolite levels in fruits with blocked ethylene receptors. Fruit pericarps were analyzed at 4, 10, and 21 days after harvest (DAH) and compared with untreated fruits. The post-harvest treatments affected primary metabolites (sugars, organic acids, amino acids, and fatty acids) and secondary metabolites (carotenoids, tocopherols, and phytosterols). However, the lipid metabolism of the tomatoes was most impacted by the exogenous jasmonate. Fatty acids, carotenoids, tocopherols, and phytosterols showed a delay in their production at 4 and 10 DAH. Conversely, at 21 DAH, these non-polar metabolites exhibited an important improvement in their accumulation.