Metabolomics in Plants and Humans: Applications in the Prevention and Diagnosis of Diseases

Table 1

A comparison between the most used methods applied to metabolomic research.

Technique	Use	Overview	References
HPLC-MS	a, b, c	High sensitivity, nonvolatile metabolites, expensive	[12, 13]
GC-MS	a, c	High sensitivity, only volatile compounds, nonexpensive	[14, 15]
NMR	b, d, e	For highly abundant metabolites, nondestructive, very reproducible, low sensitivity	[16]
MS	a, b, c, d, e	High sensitivity, usually coupled with other techniques	[17]
Raman spectroscopy	e	Low resolution, sensitivity, automated, high throughput	[18]

Ref: a: metabolite target analysis; b: metabolite profiling; c: metabolomics; d: metabolite flux analysis; e: metabolic fingerprinting. MS: mass spectrometry; HPLC-MS: high-performance liquid chromatography-MS; GS-MS: gas chromatography-MS; NMR: nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.