Dioscoreae Rhizoma
(Chinese yam; derived from the rhizome ofDioscorea
oppositaThunb.) (DR), commonly consumed
as a food or supplement, is often sulfur-fumigated during post-harvest
handling, but it remains largely unknown if and how sulfur fumigation
impacts the chemistry of DR. In this study, we report the impact of
sulfur fumigation on the chemical profile of DR and then the molecular
and cellular mechanisms potentially involved in the chemical variations
induced by sulfur fumigation. The results show that sulfur fumigation
significantly and specifically changed the small metabolites (molecular
weight lower than 1000 Da) and polysaccharides of DR at both qualitative
and quantitative levels. Multifaceted molecular and cellular mechanisms
involving chemical transformations (e.g., acidic hydrolysis, sulfonation,
and esterification) and histological damage were found to be responsible
for the chemical variations in sulfur-fumigated DR (S-DR). The research
outcomes provide a chemical basis for further comprehensive and in-depth
safety and functional evaluations of sulfur-fumigated DR.