Multi-omics and network pharmacology reveal aroma, metabolite, and antioxidant diversity in freeze-dried fruits.

Abstract

Despite the wide market diversity of freeze-dried fruit products, systematic multi-omics comparisons across different fruit types remain limited. Herein, integrated volatilomics and untargeted metabolomics were employed to systematically evaluate the chemical and functional diversity of eight representative freeze-dried fruits. Significant inter-specific differences were observed in volatile profiles, metabolite compositions, and antioxidant capacities. Green orange exhibited the highest diversity and total content of volatile compounds (∼1.4-7.0 times higher than others), whereas jackfruit displayed the highest ester abundance. Metabolomics identified 941 non-volatile metabolites, including 134 differential metabolites predominantly linked to lipid, amino acid, carbohydrate, and phenylpropanoid metabolism. All fruits demonstrated notable antioxidant capacities, with green orange exhibiting the strongest potential, which highly correlated with its abundant phenolic accumulation. Network pharmacology revealed 26 key antioxidants predicted to act synergistically, particularly targeting AKT1 and potentially regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway. These findings provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating freeze-dried fruit quality and offer valuable guidance for raw material selection, product development, and value-added utilization in the freeze-dried fruit industry.