Beyond metabolite profiling : towards an integrated understanding of flavor in horticultural plants

Grohar, Mariana Cecilia (author), Jakopič, Jerneja (author)

Flavor is one of the most important attributes determining the acceptance and value of horticultural products. Unlike traits such as yield, fruit size, or external appearance, however, flavor is not determined by a single measurable characteristic. It emerges from complex interactions among sugars, organic acids, phenolic compounds, pigments, amino acids, volatile organic compounds, and other metabolites. These biochemical traits are shaped by genotype, environmental conditions, production technologies, developmental stage, and postharvest handling [1,2]. Consequently, understanding flavor requires an integrative perspective that connects plant biology with food chemistry, production technology, and consumer perception. This complexity is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of climate change. Horticultural crops are exposed to increasing temperature variability, drought, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme events, all of which can affect not only yield but also nutritional and sensory quality [3,4]. At the same time, consumers increasingly expect horticultural products to combine attractive sensory characteristics with nutritional value, safety, sustainability, and appropriate production practices [5]. Against this background, the Special Issue “Flavor Biochemistry of Horticultural Plants” was established to bring together research addressing the biochemical basis of flavor and quality across different horticultural crops and production systems. The Special Issue ultimately comprises six contributions covering fruit, vegetables, herbs, and specialty crops, and approaches the topic from complementary perspectives, including cultivar diversity, environmental and agronomic factors, biochemical characterization, sensory evaluation, postharvest processing, storage, and bioactive compounds.

• Language: English
• Keywords: flavor, metabolite profiling, horticultural plants, genetic diversity, flavor biochemistry
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.03 - Other scientific articles
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 4 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 10, art. no. 1251
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-191054
• UDC: 634
• ISSN on article: 2311-7524
• DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae12101251
• COBISS.SI-ID: 304820227
• Publication date in RUL: 11.11.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Horticulturae
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2311-7524
• COBISS.SI-ID: 526326297

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: okus, biokemija, sadne rastline, genetska raznolikost, sekundarni metaboliti, primarni metaboliti