Non-targeted Metabolomic Profiling of Maize Landraces (Zea mays L.) Combined with Chemometric Tools
Virgílio Gavicho Uarrota *
Agroveterinary Science Center, Department of Agronomy, Postgraduate Program in Plant Production, University of the State of Santa Catarina, Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Miguel Rocha
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
Marcelo Maraschin
Plant Morphogenesis and Biochemistry Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 1346, Admar Gonzaga Road, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, 88034001, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Grain samples of maize landraces were collected and subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis combined with chemometric tools in other to discriminate them regarding the chemical composition. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering (HCA) were applied on selected peaks of the spectral data. The most important chemical groups found in all maize landrace samples were monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, tetraterpenes, aminoacids, polysaccharides, lipids and proteins. Trace signals of secondary metabolites were also found in cultivars according to year of harvest.
Keywords: Chemical composition, FTIR, maize landraces, Non-supervised techniques, R software