Identification of volatile compounds in cultivars barker, collinson, fortuna and geada of avocado (Persea americana, Mill.) fruit

The objective of this paper was to determine the volatile profile of four cultivars - Barker, Collinson, Fortuna and Geada of avocado (Persea americana, Mill.) fruit and to perform a detailed study on the effect of volatiles extraction conditions. The best conditions for extraction for Collinson and Fortuna cultivars were by using a mixture of pentane and ethyl ether (2:1) as solvent for 80 min, while for Barker and Geada cultivars, the solvents were hexane and pentane-ether (2:1), respectively but for a shorter extraction period of 60 min. A total number of 158 compounds were separated in all 4 avocado cultivars, among them eighty-four volatile compounds were identified. The principal volatile compounds viz. hexanal, ethyl acetate, methyl dodecanoate, 2,5-dimethyl furan, 1,3-butanediol, 2-ethylphenol, 2-butanol, α−bergamotene, β−caryophyllene, (E)-2-decenal were common in all the 4 cultivars. (E)-2-pentenal which possesses fruity aroma was found only in the cultivar Fortuna while ethyl acetate possessing fresh fruity flavor was present in higher content in Collinson cultivar. Benzaldehyde which possesses characteristic fruity and nutty odor note was present at a higher concentration (4.3%) in only Geada cultivar and in traces in Barker cultivar but it was not detected in Collinson and Fortuna cultivars.

Keywords:
avocado; aroma; quality; pulp; GC-MS