## 1 Introduction
Further, apricot fruit is rich in organic acids, e.g., malic, citric and quinic acids [19], phenolic acids e.g., chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, in addition to flavonoids, e.g., 2,7 (+)-catechin, (\(-\))-epicatechin, and quercetin-3-rutinoside [20]. With regards to aroma composition to add to the fruit agreeable flavor, more than 80 aroma compounds are identified in the volatile fraction of apricots predominated with terpen, esters, lactones, aldehydes and alcohols [19]. \(\beta\)-Ionone, linalool, \(\gamma\)-decalactone, 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-ocatedien, phenylacetaldehyde, hexanal, \(\gamma\)-dodecalactone, and \(\gamma\)-octalactone are identified as the compounds determining the aromatic profile of the apricot. \(\beta\)-Ionone and linalool could be responsible for the floral characteristic of apricot while lactones provide peach-like and coconut-like odors present in apricots [21]. Being distinguished by its high dietary value, apricot fruit is widely consumed either fresh or dried or in processing industry _viz._ juice, jam, puree, jelly, marmalade, fruit yogurt, and brandy [3; 22; 23]. The apricot kernel is a byproduct of apricot fruit weighing up to one third of the stone weight [24], and thus to be considered as valuable byproduct [3]. Sweet kernels are used either raw or roasted as an appetizer, salted tidbits, in baked products and as a substitute for nuts where its chemical composition is most similar to that of almond [6; 24], besides its use in the confectionery industry for preparation of respian; a sweetened paste made from roasted apricots, or peach kernels [6; 25]. Likewise, the kernel is especially valued for the oleo-chemical industry due to its oil content. Apricot kernels are utilized both for the production of apricot kernel oil and oil cake [24]. Apricot kernel represents additionally a substantial source of dietary proteins predominated with albumin, essential amino acids, e.g., arginine and leucine, glutamic acid as major nonessential amino acid carbohydrates,lipids and minerals [3; 22]. Apricot kernels are reported to be dominated by oleic and linoleic acid to amount for 92% of total fatty acids [6; 24]. Concerning _Prunus armeniaca_ L., this is the first metabolomics approach to address heterogeneity in different Egyptian cultivars in the context of its seed taste and type of soil used in cultivation. For analysis of food, several modern analytical approaches are increasingly implemented including that of large scale metabolomics aiming at the detailed characterization of metabolites within plant specimens in a rather untargeted, comprehensive manner [2]. For metabolomics profiling in fruits and seeds, gas chromatography coupled to mass-spectrometry (GC/MS) is commonly adopted to characterize its nutrients profile post silylation [2; 26]. Primary metabolites in _P. armeniaca_ L. fruit and seed mediate for their nutritive value, an objective of profiling its primary metabolome seems warranted to provide better insight into its metabolites composition. With regards to aroma composition, unlike traditional methods for volatiles extraction, such as distillation, the coupling of GC/MS to headspace solid phase micro-extraction provides a gentle and effective method for volatiles characterization (SPME). SPME outperforms previous approaches in terms of increased volatiles recovery using a fused-silica fibre, followed by the ultimate desorption of these analytes, allowing for the identification of less prevalent volatiles [2]. For better interpretation of such huge datasets, multivariate data analyses are often used, e.g., principal component analysis (PCA), in addition to supervised methods, _viz._ orthogonal projection to least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), which can simplify metabolite data complexity and facilitate sample classification [26], and identification of biomarkers. The objective of the current study is to employ chemometric tools for the first time to assess chemical determinants in Egyptian _P.