Volatile compound changes of fresh-cut pomelo during different storage conditions

Abstract

The effect of storage temperature on volatile compounds of fresh-cut pomelo (Citrus maxima) cv. Khao yai was determined at 29°C for 4 days and 10°c for 30 days. Headspace solid phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to analyze the volatile compound changes. A total of 33 volatile compounds were identified including 24 terpenes, 6 alcohols, 1 ester, 1 ketone and 1 carboxylic. During storage of fresh cut pomelo at 29°C, decreases in amounts of the low molecular weight terpene were observed on day 3 of storage, but high molecular mass of terpene compounds (wood aroma character) increased (p ::; 0.05). 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 1-octen-3-ol and heptanol, giving musty aroma, also increased. However, fresh cut pomelo storage at 10°C showed that the profile of volatile compounds mostly agreed with fresh-cut pomelo stored at 29°C, but the most of volatile compound changes of fresh cut pomelo storage at 10°C occurred after 7 days of storage. All of the volatile compounds of fresh-cut pomelo were classified by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA revealed a clear separation according to volatile composition, which accounted for 98.867% and 84.411 % of the total variance at 29°C and 10°C, respectively. The result showed that volatile compounds could be classified into two groups. Aroma active compound of the first group was a-terpinyl acetate, which decreased during storage, but o-cadinene (aroma active compounds of second group) increased during storage at both storage conditions. The data may serve as a database for the detection of freshness in fresh-cut pomelo.