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The laboratory conducts research to determine the spectrum of metabolites present in organisms and tissues of plants or animals – metabolome. As a new tool to study the impact of diet consumed on the health status of man and society, metabolomics allows simultaneous analysis of a whole range of compounds present in raw materials and food products, and also after ingestion of metabolites in biological fluids of the body.
Food of plant origin contains thousands of phytochemicals – secondary metabolites of plants. Their content in a plant and consumed products is determined by several factors, including genetic factors, abiotic stress, technological processes and storage. Metabolomics is an indispensable tool for conducting targeted plant breeding, the optimization of biotechnological processes and storage of food in the aspect of the subsequent effects on the consumer’s body.
After ingestion most phytochemicals are absorbed, metabolized, distributed and excreted. As a result of complex processes of biotransformation, a number of metabolites are formed in the body, with many of these remaining unidentified. Ultimately, hundreds of metabolites possessing uncertain biological activity occur in biological fluids of the body and affect its homeostasis. Metabolomics enables tracking of metabolic pathways of these compounds, which consequently allows the inference about the impact of nutrition on the incidence of disorders.
