Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391848
Research Project: Determination of Flavor and Healthful Benefits of Florida-Grown Fruits and Vegetables and Development of Postharvest Treatments to Optimize Shelf Life an Quality for Their Fresh and Processed Products

Location: Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research

Title: Metabolism of fruit volatile organic compounds

Author
item Bai, Jinhe
item JORDAN, MARIA - Food Research And Development
item LI, JIAN - Beijing Technology And Business University

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2022
Publication Date: 6/2/2022
Citation: Bai, J., Jordan, M., Li, J. 2022. Metabolism of fruit volatile organic compounds. Frontiers in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.873515.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.873515

Interpretive Summary: Volatile organic compounds are essential for fruit flavor, and along with sugars and acids, play a key role in the perception and acceptability of fruits by consumers. There are several classes of compounds that are important. The combinations of these compounds that result in different fruit flavors are complex and differ among species and even cultivars. These volatile profiles can be affected by plant stress such as from pathogens or drought, application of plant hormones, and fruit ripening stages. A special topic collection of manuscripts and reviews was compiled to provide current research on this topic, and we hope that this will encourage scientists to continue important research to reveal the mechanisms of volatile changes and enhance fruit flavor quality.

Technical Abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are essential for fruit flavor, and along with sugars and acids, play a key role in the perception and acceptability of fruits by consumers. More than seventeen hundred VOCs have been identified from ninety different plant families. Attending to the biosynthesis pathways, these components can be divided into several classes: terpenoids, phenylpropanoids/benzenoids, fatty acid derivatives, amino acid derivatives. Volatile blends in plants are complex and differ among species and even cultivars. These volatile profiles can be affected by biotic and abiotic stresses, plant hormone/regulator applications, and fruit maturity/ripening stages. A special topic collection was initiated for which we collected eleven articles addressing different fruits, and multiple aspects of flavor research. The work reported here gathered new information on the metabolism of volatiles at the genetic, transcriptional, hormonal, and metabolic levels and their impact on fruit flavor quality.