Non-targeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry to evaluate the metabolites of wild and farmed large yellow croakers (Larimichthys crocea)

Wild large yellow croakers are generally considered superior to farmed large yellow croakers in quality and taste. The metabolites of large yellow croakers vary because of different growth environments and dietary conditions, allowing easy differentiation of wild large yellow croakers from farmed large yellow croakers. The adulteration of wild large yellow croakers using farmed large yellow croakers in the market, which is driven by economic interests, disturbs market balance and negatively affects the trade in large yellow croakers. Therefore, the quality control (QC) of wild large yellow croakers is important for the maintenance of the market and the trade development of aquatic products. Non-targeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was employed in this study to clarify the differences in metabolic composition between muscle tissues of wild and farmed large yellow croakers. Results showed that the partial least squares discriminant analysis model could effectively distinguish the wild and farmed large yellow croakers without overfitting. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the main metabolism pathways were closely associated with lipid, amino acid, carbohydrate, and vitamin-related metabolism. Overall, non-targeted metabolomics can identify and differentiate wild and farmed large yellow croakers, supporting new insights to improve the QC level of aquatic products.