Volatile profiling of pitanga fruit (Eugenia uniflora L.) at different ripening stages using solid-phase microextraction and mass spectrometry coupled with gas chromatography

Abstract

Ripening of fruits is a natural phenomenon that is easily detectable due to a variety of underlying chemical transformations that involve volatile compounds producing aroma. The objective of this work was to verify the profile of the volatiles emitted during the ripening process of red-type pitanga fruit (Eugenia uniflora L.) using solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Through the analysis of volatile composition at the four different ripening stages, we identified 33 compounds. The volatile profile of the pitanga at four ripening stages was predominantly composed of terpenoid compounds (monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes). We also show that the volatile profile was influenced by the ripening stage. In addition, it was observed that esters appear to be preferably biosynthesized at the later stages of ripening. Multivariate statistical analysis allowed for the organization of the dataset in an easily understood structure.