## 5 Conclusions  
In conclusion, the contrasting metabolite profiles of green and white asparagus were observed and illustrated. The main differences were reproducible across two consecutive harvest years and can be linked to the cultivation method and the direct environment of the growing shoots. Certain previously reported key asparagus volatiles and non-volatiles were detected at similar levels in the two types and many new metabolites (both identified and unknowns) were also described. Such metabolites are proposed to contribute to the characteristic asparagus profile and may potentially influence sensory impact. Concerning the asparagus flavour profile, a considerable number of aroma compounds were found to be highly abundant in the upper parts of the shoots, suggesting these may have a richer flavour compared to the basal stem parts. These findings provide valuable insights into the metabolome of raw asparagus which can help to better understand crop chemistry. Finally, these results can contribute to reconsidering the applicability of discarded asparagus waste after harvesting as a valuable source of flavour compounds. **Supplementary Materials:** The following are available online at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo11100708/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo11100708/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo11100708/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo11100708/s1)). Supplementary File with Table S1: Relative abundances of compounds detected by untargeted GCMS of secondary volatiles extracted in the headspace of the asparagus spear samples in 2019. Adjusted \(p\) values obtained from \(t\)-test and ANOVA are also provided; Table S2: Relative abundances of compounds detected by untargeted GCMS of secondary volatiles extracted in the headspace of the asparagus spear samples in 2020. Adjusted \(p\) values obtained from \(t\)-test and ANOVA are also provided; Table S3: List of volatiles detected at significantly different levels (FDR adjusted \(p\) value \(\leq\) 0.05) between the green and white asparagus spears in 2019 and 2020; Table S4: Relative abundances of compounds detected by untargeted LCMS of secondary semi-polar non-volatiles extracted from the asparagus spear samples in 2019. Adjusted \(p\) values obtained from \(t\)-test and ANOVA are also provided; Table S5: Relative abundances of compounds detected by untargeted LCMS of secondary semi-polar non-volatiles extracted from the asparagus spear samples in 2020. Adjusted \(p\) values obtained from \(t\)-test and ANOVA are also provided; Table S6: List of non-volatiles detected at significantly different levels (FDR adjusted \(p\) value \(\leq\) 0.05) between the green and white asparagus spears in 2019 and 2020. Figure S1: PCA of the GC-MS and LC-MS data of the green and white asparagus spears harvested in 2019. The first two PCs are presented and the explained variance is shown in parentheses on the axes: (a) loading plot of the volatile profiles. Colours indicate the compound class of the tentatively identified volatiles. Unidentified volatiles are coloured grey; (b) loading plot of the non-volatile profiles. All non-volatiles are coloured black except for identified saponins and polyphenols which are indicated by the red and blue circles respectively; Figure S2: PCA of the GC-MS and LC-MS data of the green and white asparagus spears harvested in 2020. The first two PCs are given and the explained variance is shown in parenthesis on the plots axes. Colours indicate the compound class of the identified metabolites. Unidentified compoundsare coloured grey: (a) Loading plot of the volatile profiles; (b) Loading plot of the non-volatile profiles; Figure S3: PCA of the 61 identified volatiles detected in the green and white asparagus spears harvested and analysed in 2019 and 2020. Data were log-transformed and autoscaled before fusing them: (a) Score plot of the first two PCs where the explained variance is shown in parenthesis on the plots axes.