Synergy Effect of Sodium Acetate and Glycosidically Bound Volatiles on the Release of Volatile Compounds from the Unscented Cut Flower (Delphinium elatum L. “Blue Bird”)

Abstract

Many modern floricultural varieties have lost their scent during traditional breeding programs. The factors that result in the nonscent emission of some cut flowers remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the nonscent emission is due to one of the factors, the lack of suitable substrates (or precursors of scent compounds). Using solid-phase microextraction and dynamic headspace volatile sampling techniques, the supplement of nonvolatile compounds such as 2-coumaric acid glucoside to the unscented cut flower such as Delphinium elatum L. "Blue Bird" enhanced the emission of scent from the flower, which was sufficient for detection by the human olfaction. Interestingly, compared with feeding with each compound, the combination of sodium acetate and 2-coumaric acid glucoside showed the synergy effect on enhancement of coumarin, a cherry leaf-like scent emission from the flower, which is due to one of factors that sodium acetate enhanced the activity of beta-glucosidase being involved in the formation of the scent compound. These results suggest that some enzymes responsible for the formation of floral scents indeed occur in the unscented flowers such as Delphinium elatum L. "Blue Bird", and the non- or low-scent emission of the flowers are due to the lack of suitable substrates.