title: Discovering metabolic indices for early detection of squash (Cucurbita maxima) storage quality using GC-MS-based metabolite profiling.
abstract: Squash (Cucubita maxima) cultivars with good storage qualities are needed for breeding to improve poor crop supply during winter in Japan. We measured changes in squash constituents during different storage periods to identify compounds that were suitable to be used as indices of storage quality. Principal components analysis of compounds at 1-5 months after harvest showed that PC1 scores were lower for cultivars with a higher rather than lower SQ (storage quality) ranks. Partial least-squares regression analysis was performed using the peak areas of all compounds identified from the 15 cultivars at 1 month after harvest as explanation variables and SQ as the target variable. Variable influence on projection scores and rank correlation coefficients were higher for arabinose and xylose, which showed less temporal change during the storage period; hence, they were considered to be suitable indicators for storage evaluation. These data will be useful for future studies aiming to improve storage quality of squash.
authors.affiliation: NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, Hitsujigaoka-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan; NARO Agricultural Research Center, 3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba 305-8666, Japan. Electronic address: okazakik@affrc.go.jp.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.affiliation: NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, Hitsujigaoka-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan; Saga University Center for Education and Research in Agricultural Innovation, Honjo-cho-1, Saga 840-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, Hitsujigaoka-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.affiliation: NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, Hitsujigaoka-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kami
authors.affiliation: NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, Hitsujigaoka-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, Hitsujigaoka-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oka
mesh_terms: D000069599:Crop Production; D028464:Cucurbita / Q000737:chemistry*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007564:Japan
keywords: GC–MS; Metabolomics; Squash fruit; Water-soluble compounds