Insight into fruit maturation mechanisms of Asian (Pyrus serotina Rehd.) and European (Pyrus communis L.) pears using GC–MS-based metabolomics

Knowledge of ripening-associated metabolic changes is essential for maintaining postharvest quality and extending fruit shelf life. This study aimed to characterize ripening-associated metabolic variation and identify candidate metabolites for maturity assessment in Orthogonal projection to latent structures (OPLS) of the fruit peel and flesh tissues of two Asian and two European pear cultivars throughout three defined maturity stages (20, 10, and 0 days before harvest, DBH) using untargeted GC–MS-based metabolomics. indicated significant differences in fruit peel and flesh tissues, depending on the maturity stage. Key ripening-associated metabolites included sugars (trehalose, allose), sugar alcohols (xylitol, threitol), organic acids (shikimic, glycolic, and mucic acids), and amino acids (alanine, asparagine, valine, and aspartic acid), which serve as potential indicators to assess fruit maturity and determine the optimal harvest time. This study provides valuable insights into the metabolic changes associated with pear fruit maturation. In addition, the identified metabolites offer potential biomarkers for assessing fruit maturity and determining the optimal time for fruit harvest, laying the foundation for future research focused on improving postharvest quality and storage performance.