Pattern Recognition of Varieties of Peach Fruit and Pulp from Their Volatile Components and Metabolic Profile Using HS-SPME-GC/MS Combined with Multivariable Statistical Analysis

Abstract

A fruit’s aroma profile, composed of a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds, is among the core attributes related to the overall taste and consumer preference. Prunus persica L. is a preferred summer fruit with a distinct, favorable olfactory characteristic. The volatile compositions of both peach fruits and fruit pulps from eight peach cultivars (four native and four introduced) was investigated to compare their composition and assess flavor-contributing compounds. In total, 65 compounds were profiled after a HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis: 16 esters, 14 aldehydes, 5 alcohols, 7 hydrocarbons, 7 ketones, 8 acids, and 8 terpenes. The most common compounds were esters, acids, and aldehydes. Although the same compounds were identified in both fruit and pulp, their %TIC (total ion current) differed in favor of the whole fruit. Following the metabolic profiling of the whole fruit and fruit pulp, a total of 44 compounds were identified from the studied varieties. Among them, amino acids, organic acids, sugar alcohols, saccharides, fatty acids, and phenolic acids were identified as existing groups. According to the provided principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), the relative %TIC of the identified volatile compounds fluctuated depending on the studied cultivar. No differences were visible in the PCA biplots, which suggested that the polar and lipid metabolites do not provide significant variations when considering different parts of the fruit, contrary to the volatile compounds. The obtained results could successfully be applied in the metabolic chemotaxonomy of peaches and the differentiation of the metabolites present in different parts of the peach.

Research-Gap-Spotting in Plum–Apricot Hybrids—Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activities, and Health Beneficial Properties

“…Literature keeps numerous reports on the topic of Prunus spp. antioxidant activity [53,54]. The plum fruit holds a significant amount of total phenolics, while the total anthocyanin and flavonoid contents are higher in the fruit skin and significantly lower in the fruit pulp [55].…”

Analysis of Important Volatile Organic Compounds and Genes Produced by Aroma of Pepper Fruit by HS-SPME-GC/MS and RNA Sequencing

“…Terpenoids, most of which have strong biological activity and aroma, are important raw materials for food, medicine, cosmetics, and spices [ 8 ]. Terpenoids are closely related to the production of fruit aroma [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Volatile terpenes mainly include isoprene, monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes and its derivatives [ 8 ].…”

Changes of Volatile Organic Compounds of Different Flesh Texture Pears during Shelf Life Based on Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction with Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

“…In recent years, HS-SPME combined with GC-MS has been used to accurately and efficiently analyze and identify volatiles in fruits [25]. It has been widely used for the determination of VOCs in apples [26,27], pears [28,29], grapes [30,31], peaches [32], citrus [33] and other fruits. Currently, important progress has been made in research on pear flavor quality, but relatively few studies have been conducted on the changes in the VOCs of pear varieties with different flesh textures during different post-harvest shelf life.…”