Maria Luiza Carvalho Farias1, Samantha Seehagen Wanderley1, Ramon da Silva de Souza1, Renato Lúcio Mendes Alvarenga1, Tatiana Baptista Gibertoni1
Metabolomic studies provide a robust framework to investigate biochemical changes resulting from genetic modifications, environmental influences, disease progression, or therapeutic interventions. By analyzing the metabolome, researchers can identify early disease biomarkers, monitor treatment responses, and understand underlying physiological and pathological mechanisms. While metabolomics is well established in other biological groups—particularly in plants—it remains underutilized in mycology. Given fungi\'s remarkable ability to produce bioactive compounds and enzymes with high biotechnological relevance, metabolomic approaches have the potential to uncover novel metabolites of medical interest and enable advances in human and environmental health. This study aimed to create the first scientometric database dedicated to fungal metabolomics. The dataset was retrieved from the Scopus database without temporal restrictions. Selection criteria included publications with both “Metabolomics” AND “Fungi” as core terms, while excluding those involving unrelated groups (e.g., viruses AND bacteria). Only English-language research articles were considered, ensuring consistency across analyses. The selected records were processed and analyzed in R using the Bibliometrix package. Key indicators such as publication trends, major journals and countries, keyword evolution, and international collaboration networks were evaluated to generate a scientometric overview. A total of 616 articles met the criteria. The leading publication venues were Frontiers in Microbiology (n=25), PLOS ONE (n=21), and International Journal of Molecular Sciences (n=19). The other articles were spread in 224 journals. Notably, of the total amount of studies, those papers in those three journals comprise only 10,5% of published articles, showing that the majority of publications are featured in smaller journals. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (17) and Food Chemistry (15) also featured prominently, especially for food-related applications. The results highlight the field’s connection to microbiology, biotechnology, and genomics, as well as its scientific and translational relevance. The number of publications on fungal metabolomics has grown steadily since 2012, peaking in 2024 with 119 articles and a projected 85 for 2025. The output nearly doubled between 2020 and 2023, increasing from 49 to 72 publications. This surge may reflect improvements in analytical techniques, particularly mass spectrometry, and the expansion of fungal applications in health and food sciences. China leads in number of publications (268 articles), while the United Kingdom and the United States demonstrated the highest impact per article (average of 73.15 and 28.54 citations, respectively). Brazil contributed with 18 articles—15 of which were single-country publications (SCP), reflecting limited international collaboration. Despite Brazil’s vast and unique fungal diversity, local research in fungal metabolomics remains incipient (almost 3%). In conclusion, this pioneering scientometric effort not only maps the current landscape of metabolomic studies in fungi but also highlights critical gaps and emerging opportunities. The global growth of this field underscores its expanding relevance across disciplines, while the underrepresentation of countries like Brazil points to the untapped potential of native fungal biodiversity in biotechnological innovation.
Agradecimentos: Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) for the infrastructure and institutional support; the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for financial support.