Development of volatile compounds during fruit maturation: Characterization of apricot and plum x apricot hybrids

Abstract

Optimum fruit quality depends upon a number of factors, including fruit developmental stage at harvest. The volatile constituents present in apricot fruit and plumcot accession P251-002 during three different developmental stages have been studied, as well as some physical characteristics such as weight, firmness, °Brix, titratable acidity and flesh and skin colour. The volatile compounds behaved differently during the fruit maturation period, alcohols being the most important group, quantitatively, during the three developmental stages in apricot fruit. In plumcot, total volatiles obtained from fruit sample extractions were very similar in each developmental stage; however, the aromatic profile of constituents changed as fruit maturity progressed to a tree ripe stage. Important differences were found in the volatile constituents profile for both fruits; at the tree ripe stage, the concentration of lactones and terpenic alcohols, characteristic compounds of apricot aroma, were much higher in apricot than plumcot, the latter more resembling a plum aromatic profile. Even with the important presence of lactones that gives a very aromatic apricot when tree ripe, the low firmness at this point does not allow any commercial use of the fruit.