Estimation of Avocado Oil (Persea americana Mill., Greek “Zutano” Variety) Volatile Fraction over Ripening by Classical and Ultrasound Extraction Using HS-SPME–GC–MS

Marinos Xagoraris,Christos S Pappas,Petros A Tarantilis,Panagiota-Kyriaki Revelou,Eleftheria H Kaparakou,Eleni Galani,Lydia Valasi

doi:10.3390/compounds2010003

Marinos Xagoraris, Christos S Pappas + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/compounds2010003

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Abstract

The study of flavors and fragrances is a topic of rising interest from both marketing and scientific perspectives. Over the last few years, the cultivation of avocados has accelerated in Greece, with production levels elevated by 300%. There has been increasing attention from a number of growers and consumers on avocado oil, the volatiles of which form a key part of consumers’ purchase decisions. A previously unevaluated Zutano cultivar was chosen for this study. Extraction of the pulp oil was performed during three phases of ripening using Soxhlet and ultrasound techniques. Headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were utilized in order to analyze the isolated volatile fraction. At least 44 compounds, including mainly terpenoids (61.7%) and non-terpenoid hydrocarbons (35.9%), presented in the Zutano variety, while (1S,6S,7S,8S)-1,3-dimethyl-8-propan-2-yltricyclo[4.4.0.02,7]dec-3-ene (a-copaene) and (1R,9S,Z)-4,11,11-trimethyl-8-methylenebicyclo[7.2.0]undec-4-ene (β-caryophyllene) were in higher abundance. The composition of the volatiles was unaffected by the extraction techniques but was influenced by the ripening stage. Thus, during maturation, the volatile fraction fluctuates, with a significantly higher abundance of terpenoids during the fourth day of the ripe stage, whilst it decreases during over-ripening. These findings demonstrate that the Zutano variety can be used to produce an aromatic oil and hence could be used, among others, as an ingredient in cosmetic products.

Highlights

The avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a subtropical/tropical tree which is traditionally cultivated in Central America [1]
The results show that the volatile fraction of this variety of oil is rich in terpenoids
This work shows the analysis of avocado oil extracted from the Zutano variety by two (SE and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)) techniques

Summary

Introduction

The avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a subtropical/tropical tree which is traditionally cultivated in Central America [1]. The growth of the avocado fruit depends on the cultivar and/or environmental conditions, and it is harvested when the fruit is horticulturally mature [1]. The production of avocados has become more widespread worldwide in the last few decades, with seven million tons produced in 2019 [2]. In Greece, avocados are mainly produced in Crete, Peloponnese, and Rhodes, with an average of 9.3 tons produced in 2019 [2]. It is an emblematic crop for Crete, with 90% of the total Greek production concentrated in the prefecture of Chania. It is notable that production increased by about 300% between 2014 and 2019 [3]

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