Characterization of the Polar Profile of Bacon and Fuerte Avocado Fruits by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: Distribution of Non-structural Carbohydrates, Quinic Acid, and Chlorogenic Acid between Seed, Mesocarp, and Exocarp at Different Ripening Stages

Abstract

Avocado fruit growth and development, unlike that of other fruits, is characterized by the accumulation of oil and C7 sugars (in most fruits, the carbohydrates that prevail are C6). There are five essential carbohydrates which constitute 98% of the total content of soluble sugars in this fruit; these are fructose, glucose, sucrose, d-mannoheptulose, and perseitol, which together with quinic acid and chlorogenic acid have been the analytes under study in this work. After applying an efficient extraction procedure, a novel methodology based on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was applied to determine the levels of these seven substances in tissues─exocarp, seed, and mesocarp─from avocado fruits of two different varieties scarcely studied, Bacon and Fuerte, at three different ripening stages. Quantitative characterization of the selected tissues was performed, and the inter-tissue distribution of metabolites was described. For both varieties, d-mannoheptulose was the major component in the mesocarp and exocarp, whereas perseitol was predominant in the seed, followed by sucrose and d-mannoheptulose. Sucrose was found to be more abundant in seed tissues, with much lower concentrations in avocado mesocarp and exocarp. Quinic acid showed a predominance in the exocarp, and chlorogenic acid was exclusively determined in exocarp samples.