Metabolomics for phytochemical discovery: development of statistical approaches using a cranberry model system.

Metabolomics is the qualitative and quantitative analysis of all of the small molecules in a biological sample at a specific time and influence. Technologies for metabolomics analysis have developed rapidly as new analytical tools for chemical separations, mass spectrometry, and NMR spectroscopy have emerged. Plants have one of the largest metabolomes, and it is estimated that the average plant leaf can contain upward of 30 000 phytochemicals. In the past decade, over 1200 papers on plant metabolomics have been published. A standard metabolomics data set contains vast amounts of information and can either investigate or generate hypotheses. The key factors in using plant metabolomics data most effectively are the experimental design, authentic standard availability, extract standardization, and statistical analysis. Using cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) as a model system, this review will discuss and demonstrate strategies and tools for analysis and interpretation of metabolomics data sets including eliminating false discoveries and determining significance, metabolite clustering, and logical algorithms for discovery of new metabolites and pathways. Together these metabolomics tools represent an entirely new pipeline for phytochemical discovery.