Integrated ESI-MS/MS and APCI-MS/MS based metabolomics reveal the effects of canning and storage on peach fruits.

The characterization of peach metabolites and carotenoids during canning and storage remains unclear. The present study identified 658 metabolites and 40 carotenoids in peach fruits throughout the canning and storage using ESI-MS/MS and APCI-MS/MS based metabolome approach. A total of 282 differentially accumulated metabolites were found, mainly including 78 phenolic acids, 74 lipids, 61 flavonoids. Five esterified carotenoids (rubixanthin palmitate, β-cryptoxanthin oleate, β-cryptoxanthin laurate, β-cryptoxanthin palmitate, and β-cryptoxanthin myristate) were the main peach carotenoids, with a proportion of approximately 90%, while free carotenoids accounted for 4.22-5.95% during the entire processing period. Moreover, the total carotenoid loss rates for canning and storage were 56.67% and 46.55%, respectively. Compared to the loss of free carotenoids, esterified carotenoids were more stable during storage, while canning led to a greater loss of esterified carotenoids. The results provided new insights into the maintenance of health-related phytochemicals from canning processes.