Identification of metabolites that influence flavor in the flesh of six mango cultivars from Thailand.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars Nam Dok Mai Si Thong (NDM), Yuwen, Guifei, Hong Siang Ya, Xiaxue, and R2E2 from Thailand are valued for their distinctive flavor. Here, SPME-GC/MS and CE-TOF/MS metabolomics profiled flavor-related and nutritional metabolites. We annotated 63 volatiles, noting that β-ionone and (E)-2-nonenal exhibited the highest relative odor activity values, while R2E2 displayed elevated aldehyde levels. Among 122 nonvolatiles, cultivar-specific taste markers were identified. Notably, relative profiling revealed up to 18-fold higher γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in ripe NDM pulp compared to other cultivars. Consequently, targeted LC-Orbitrap-MS quantification confirmed that endogenous GABA increased from 2.14 mg/g DW at unripe stage to 3.33 mg/g DW at consumption ripeness (1.6-fold; P > 0.05). These findings demonstrate metabolic diversity and highlight ripe NDM as a promising unfortified fresh-whole-food alternative for dietary GABA delivery; however, whether consumption yields in vivo physiological benefits requires further human trials.