Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the physical, chemical, functional, and sensory profiles of Alpinia oxyphylla fruit across four developmental stages (D12, D14, D16 and D18) through combined physicochemical assays with UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics. A total of 2,330 non-volatile metabolites were identified, exhibiting significant temporal variation across multiple bioactive compound classes, including anthocyanins, terpenoids, phenolics, vitamins, coumarins, lignans, and capsaicinoids. Key flavor-mediating metabolites (sucrose for sweetness, gingerols/capsaicinoids for pungency, epicatechin/catechin for bitterness), nutritional components (vitamin C), texture-associated cellulose and bioactive phytochemicals (anthocyanins, terpenoids) exhibited stage-specific accumulation patterns. Through a comprehensive multi-criteria evaluation model, D14 was identified as the optimal harvest stage with balanced sensory quality, nutritional content. This study advances mechanistic insights into quality formation of medicinal and edible homologous fruits, establishes a metabolomics-driven framework for harvest timing optimization, and provides universal guidance for standardized cultivation, quality control and functional food development of phytochemically abundant fruit crops.
Zhao et al. (2026) studied this question.