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Analysis of volatile compounds as quality indicators for Fuji apples after cold storage
Author(s) -
Lee Jangho,
Jang Hae Won,
Jeong Moon Cheol,
Yoo SeungRan,
Ha Jaeho
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of food biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-4514
pISSN - 0145-8884
DOI - 10.1111/jfbc.12410
Subject(s) - chemistry , alcohol , chromatography , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry , butyl acetate , food science , gas chromatography , alcohol content , ethanol , mass spectrometry , organic chemistry , solvent
Changes in the volatile components in Fuji apples were investigated by the analysis of intact apples using headspace solid‐phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to assess their quality during long‐term storage at 4°C (3, 6, and 9 months). Three alcohols and 28 esters were identified, and the feeding of precursor alcohols (e.g., butanol, hexanol, and 2‐methylbutanol) resulted in significantly increased amounts of eight esters. Among these esters, the peak area ratios (PARs) of butyl acetate, butyl butanoate, butyl 2‐methylbutanotate, or 2‐methylbutyl acetate to the eight esters were highly correlated with those of their precursor alcohols to the total alcohol content ( R 2 ≥ .9253). In addition, the PAR of precursor alcohols to the total alcohol content, as well as the PAR of these esters to the eight esters, significantly increased during storage at 4°C ( p < .01). Therefore, it is concluded that PARs can be used as quality indicators for Fuji apples. Practical applications Quality assessment is crucial in the food industry to maintain food quality. An accurate, rapid method must be available for an assessment of quality. In addition, the identification of reliable biomarkers is imperative for quality assessment. Because of their versatility, volatile compounds in foods can provide considerable information about the quality of foods. In this study, volatile compounds in Fuji apples served as good quality indicators, and these apples were nondestructively analyzed without sample treatment. In addition, multiple volatile indicators were identified and validated. The results suggested that the volatile compounds analyzed by this nondestructive method can serve as indicators for the rapid, robust assessment of the quality of Fuji apples in the agricultural industry.