diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index ceebb66..e3be17a 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ export(mtbls_sync_data_files)
 exportClasses(MsBackendMetaboLights)
 exportMethods(backendInitialize)
 exportMethods(backendMerge)
+exportMethods(backendRequiredSpectraVariables)
 importClassesFrom(Spectra,MsBackendDataFrame)
 importClassesFrom(Spectra,MsBackendMzR)
 importFrom(BiocFileCache,BiocFileCache)
@@ -31,3 +32,4 @@ importMethodsFrom(ProtGenerics,backendInitialize)
 importMethodsFrom(ProtGenerics,dataOrigin)
 importMethodsFrom(Spectra,"[")
 importMethodsFrom(Spectra,backendInitialize)
+importMethodsFrom(Spectra,backendRequiredSpectraVariables)
diff --git a/R/MsBackendMetaboLights.R b/R/MsBackendMetaboLights.R
index 29acad0..24e1660 100644
--- a/R/MsBackendMetaboLights.R
+++ b/R/MsBackendMetaboLights.R
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@
 #' and eventually synchronizes changes/updates. This can be skipped with
 #' `offline = TRUE` in which case only locally cached content is queried.
 #'
+#' The `backendRequiredSpectraVariables()` function returns the names of the
+#' spectra variables required for the backend to provide the MS data.
+#'
 #' The `mtbls_sync()` function can be used to *synchronize* the local data
 #' cache and ensure that all data files are locally available. The function
 #' will check the local cache and eventually download missing data files from
@@ -71,6 +74,8 @@
 #' - For `MsBackendMetaboLights()`: an instance of `MsBackendMetaboLights`.
 #' - For `backendInitialize()`: an instance of `MsBackendMetaboLights` with
 #'   the MS data of the specified MetaboLights data set.
+#' - For `backendRequiredSpectraVariables()`: `character` with spectra
+#'   variables that are needed for the backend to provide the MS data.
 #' - For `mtbls_sync()`: the input `MsBackendMetaboLights` with the paths to
 #'   the locally cached data files being eventually updated.
 #'
@@ -202,6 +207,18 @@ setMethod(
              "supports merging, such as the 'MsBackendMemory'.")
     })
 
+#' @rdname MsBackendMetaboLights
+#'
+#' @importMethodsFrom Spectra backendRequiredSpectraVariables
+#'
+#' @exportMethod backendRequiredSpectraVariables
+setMethod(
+    "backendRequiredSpectraVariables", "MsBackendMetaboLights",
+    function(object, ...) {
+        c(callNextMethod(), "mtbls_id", "mtbls_assay_name",
+          "derived_spectral_data_file")
+    })
+
 .valid_mtbls_required_columns <- function(object) {
     if (nrow(object@spectraData)) {
         if (!all(c("mtbls_id", "mtbls_assay_name",
diff --git a/man/MsBackendMetaboLights.Rd b/man/MsBackendMetaboLights.Rd
index b1b6889..4be53e6 100644
--- a/man/MsBackendMetaboLights.Rd
+++ b/man/MsBackendMetaboLights.Rd
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 \alias{MsBackendMetaboLights-class}
 \alias{backendInitialize,MsBackendMetaboLights-method}
 \alias{backendMerge,MsBackendMetaboLights-method}
+\alias{backendRequiredSpectraVariables,MsBackendMetaboLights-method}
 \alias{mtbls_sync}
 \title{MsBackend representing MS data from MetaboLights}
 \usage{
@@ -21,6 +22,8 @@ MsBackendMetaboLights()
 
 \S4method{backendMerge}{MsBackendMetaboLights}(object, ...)
 
+\S4method{backendRequiredSpectraVariables}{MsBackendMetaboLights}(object, ...)
+
 mtbls_sync(x, offline = FALSE)
 }
 \arguments{
@@ -53,6 +56,8 @@ evaluated/loaded.}
 \item For \code{MsBackendMetaboLights()}: an instance of \code{MsBackendMetaboLights}.
 \item For \code{backendInitialize()}: an instance of \code{MsBackendMetaboLights} with
 the MS data of the specified MetaboLights data set.
+\item For \code{backendRequiredSpectraVariables()}: \code{character} with spectra
+variables that are needed for the backend to provide the MS data.
 \item For \code{mtbls_sync()}: the input \code{MsBackendMetaboLights} with the paths to
 the locally cached data files being eventually updated.
 }
@@ -120,6 +125,9 @@ function first compares the remote file content to the locally cached files
 and eventually synchronizes changes/updates. This can be skipped with
 \code{offline = TRUE} in which case only locally cached content is queried.
 
+The \code{backendRequiredSpectraVariables()} function returns the names of the
+spectra variables required for the backend to provide the MS data.
+
 The \code{mtbls_sync()} function can be used to \emph{synchronize} the local data
 cache and ensure that all data files are locally available. The function
 will check the local cache and eventually download missing data files from
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test_MsBackendMetaboLights.R b/tests/testthat/test_MsBackendMetaboLights.R
index cdc1982..c959424 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test_MsBackendMetaboLights.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test_MsBackendMetaboLights.R
@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@ test_that("backendInitialize,MsBackendMetaboLights works", {
     expect_equal(Spectra::rtime(res), Spectra::rtime(res_o))
 })
 
+test_that("backendRequiredSpectraVariables,MsBackendMetaboLights works", {
+    expect_equal(backendRequiredSpectraVariables(MsBackendMetaboLights()),
+                 c("dataStorage", "scanIndex", "mtbls_id", "mtbls_assay_name",
+                   "derived_spectral_data_file"))
+})
+
 test_that("mtbls_sync works", {
     expect_error(mtbls_sync(3, offline = TRUE), "'x' is expected to be")