Seed Compositional Profiling of 21 Industrial Hemp Varieties and Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Wild and Cultivated Cannabis sativa L. Genotypes

Industrial hemp is a nutritious crop with wide implications. We conducted a comprehensive study of amino acid, fatty acid, and sugar profiles, which have a profound impact on human nutrition and animal feed. We found that variety significantly influences the nutritional profile of hemp. Furthermore, we found glutamic acid, arginine, and aspartic acid to be the primary amino acids; linoleic acid was the major fatty acid, and fructose and sucrose were the dominant sugars. Proteomic analysis identified 240 differential proteins (DEPs) in wild and cultivated dual-type varieties and 648 in wild and fiber-type hemp varieties. We found that all the varieties shared common proteins, indicating a strong seed proteomic profile in the domesticated and wild-type varieties. Notably, most of the differentially expressed proteins were downregulated in cultivated types compared to their wild counterparts. Overall, this study elucidates the nutritional and proteomic profiles of diverse hemp varieties, providing fundamental insights into the molecular and genetic changes associated with the domestication and cultivation of hemp.