Plant Metabolomics: An Overview

The term metabolomics was coined by Oliver and his group in 1998. It is a study of biochemical profile and regulation of functions in whole organism by analyzing a metabolite pool present in organism. Researchers believe that more than 400,000 plant species exist worldwide. Total number of metabolites in the plant kingdom are about 2,00,000 to 10,00,000. With the availability of highly sensitive and selective analytical techniques, metabolic changes in plant systems can be followed in a comprehensive way. This technology is useful in assessing gene function and relationships to metabolites. The nutritional values of food and concentration of pharmaceuticals in plants can be improved by using metabolomics study and its functional genomic strategies. Metabolomics analysis is comparatively fast, cheaper and reliable, but simultaneous identification of all metabolites in a crop plant remains a challenge.