metabolome

Chemical diversity of the metabolome is much greater than that of the genome, the transcriptome, or the proteome, and a protocol that efficiently extracts very hydrophilic substances, such as lactic acid, might poorly recover oily molecules, such as squalene (a cholesterol precursor).

The metabolomes of plants differ fundamentally from those of animals. As illustrated with hippuric acid (see above), the human metabolome is a mixture of enzyme products, plant matter, and microorganisms. Autotrophic plants, in contrast, make all of their own metabolites, and while much of their primary…