Profiling of Secondary Metabolites of Leaves of Indigenous and Introduced Grapes Collected from Hebron and Bethlehem Regions in the West Bank-Palestine.

Abstract

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most cultivated plant species and has a long history in the Levant. Grape products, including leaves, are highly appreciated as healthy products, mainly because of their high levels of nutraceuticals. The significance of these products lies in the fact that poor diet is the primary cause of malnutrition, which is associated with severe noncommunicable diseases. Accordingly, this study aimed to profile secondary metabolites in a selection of grape genotypes from Hebron and Bethlehem regions in the West Bank-Palestine that include both indigenous and introduced genotypes. Fresh, delicate leaves from each genotype-region combination were analyzed for their content of secondary metabolites via LC-MS. The results revealed that the collection regions had a negligible impact, whereas the genotype impact was high and significant. More importantly, the secondary metabolites profiles of leaves allow for the clustering of the assessed genotypes into a few clusters, each with a specific set of metabolites that can serve as fingerprint profile. In conclusion, the results of the present study revealed the diversity of grape genotypes at the metabolomics level, which will help preserve indigenous grape genotypes and aid in the development of grape varieties that can cope with the adverse impacts of climate change.