Abstract
To examine the biochemical metabolism of aroma volatiles derived from fatty acids, pear fruits were incubated in vitro with metabolic precursors of these compounds. Aroma volatiles, especially esters, were significantly increased, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in pear fruits fed on fatty acid metabolic precursors. Cultivars having different flavor characteristics had distinctly different aroma volatile metabolisms. More esters were formed in fruity-flavored “Nanguoli” fruits than in green-flavored “Dangshansuli” fruits fed on the same quantities of linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Hexanal and hexanol were more efficient metabolic intermediates for volatile synthesis than linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Hexyl esters were the predominant esters produced by pear fruits fed on hexanol, and their contents in “Dangshansuli” fruits were higher than in “Nanguoli” fruits. Hexyl esters and hexanoate esters were the primary esters produced in pear fruits fed on hexanal, however the content of hexyl ester in “Dangshansuli” was approximately three times that in “Nanguoli”. The higher contents of hexyl esters in “Dangshansuli” may have resulted from a higher level of hexanol derived from hexanal. In conclusion, the synthesis of aroma volatiles was largely dependent on the metabolic precursors presented.
Highlights
Fruit aromas consist of many aroma volatiles, and their formation involves several biosynthetic pathways
Fatty acids liberated by lipase activity and those further metabolized by β-oxidative enzymes and/or lipoxygenase (LOX) are generally regarded as the initial precursors of straight-chain esters, alcohols, and aldehydes produced in fruits during development and maturation [1,2,3]
The incubation of pear fruits with linoleic acid and linolenic acid showed that these compounds were efficiently absorbed by pear fruits (Figures 1 and 2) and used for the synthesis of aroma volatiles
Summary
Fruit aromas consist of many aroma volatiles, and their formation involves several biosynthetic pathways. Fatty acid metabolism is an important metabolic pathway involved in the biosynthesis of aroma volatiles in fruits. 16 C atoms) [2,6,7] have shown that aroma production increases, even under conditions in which natural aroma volatiles production is limited by storage Such results have demonstrated the importance of fatty acids as precursors for aroma volatile biosynthesis and the feasibility of in vitro aroma volatile biosynthesis modifications. Most aroma volatiles of fruit are biosynthetically derived from fatty acids, the fatty acid metabolism of aroma volatiles in different cultivars have not been thoroughly examined. The aroma volatile metabolisms of “Dangshansuli” and “Nanguoli” were examined by incubating fruits with linoleic acid, linolenic acid, hexanol and hexanal to further understand aroma volatile biosynthesis and regulation
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