Metabolomics Applications in Plant Biotechnology

Metabolomics, the comprehensive analysis in which all the metabolites of an organism are identified and quantified, has recently emerged as a functional genomicsmethodology that contributes to the knowledge of the many complex molecularinteractions in different biological systems. Thus, the study of a metabolome represents the logical progression from large-scale analysis of RNA and proteins at the systems level.

Currently, there are many metabolomics applications in different areas for example Medicine, Systems Biology, Food technology and Microbial and Plant Biotechnology, among others.

Metabolites found in plants are involved in many functions such as development, growth,germination, aroma and scent of flowers, taste of fruits, stress responses andpathogen resistance. Thus, one of the aims of metabolomics is to determine variations in the concentration of metabolites in different metabolic networks and relate these changes with the phenotype, physiological and/or developmental state of a cell, tissue or organism.