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Title: VOLATILE COMPOSITION OF COFFEE BERRIES AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF RIPENESS, AND THEIR POSSIBLE ATTRACTION TO THE COFFEE BERRY BORER HYPOTHENEMUS HAMPEI (CURCULIONIDAE: SCOLYTINAE).

Author
item ORTIZ, AMERICO - CENICAFE,COLOMBIA
item ORTIZ, ARISTOFELES - CENICAFE, COLOMBIA
item Vega, Fernando
item Posada-Florez, Francisco

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2004
Publication Date: 9/5/2004
Citation: Ortiz, A., Ortiz, A., Vega, F.E., Posada, F.J. 2004. Volatile composition of coffee berries at different stages of ripeness, and their possible attraction to the coffee berry borer hypothenemus hampei (curculionidae: scolytinae).. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 52, 5914-5918

Interpretive Summary: The coffee berry borer is the most devastating pest of coffee throughout the world. Eggs are deposited inside coffee berries, and insects feed on the coffee seed, severely reducing yields. It is believed that chemicals emitted by the coffee berry might play a role in helping the insect find the coffee berry. The composition of chemicals emitted by coffee berries is dominated by high levels of alcohols, which might explain the effectiveness of using traps with mixed alcohols for detection and capture of coffee berry borers. Testing attraction of the various chemicals emitted by coffee berries might lead to finding a better attractant which can be used in coffee berry borer detection and capture strategies.

Technical Abstract: The analysis of volatile emissions of coffee berries in different physiological states of ripeness was performed using dynamic headspace and GC/MS analysis for Coffea arabica. The composition of the volatiles emitted by coffee berries is dominated by very high levels of alcohols, mainly ethanol, in all stages of ripeness in comparison with other compounds. Over-ripe coffee berries have high volatile emissions and show a composition dominated mainly by esters followed by alcohols, ketones and aldehydes. The lowest level compounds were monoterpenes. 2-methyl furan was detected in various ripening stages; this compound has not been previously reported as a coffee berry volatile. The presence of ethanol and other alcohols in the volatile composition might explain the effectiveness of using traps with mixed alcohols for detection and capture of coffee berry borers.