Abstract:

Mango fruits with different degrees of maturity from Hainan Island were determined for their volatile composition by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection coupled with mass spectrometry in order to examine the effect of degree of maturity on the volatile composition of mango fruits. The results demonstrated that mango fruits were rich in a wide variety of volatile compounds. A total of 56 volatile compounds were found in mango fruits, including terpenes, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols and esters, and the major ones were terpenes, and their contents in mango flesh and skin decreased as degree of maturity increased and reached their minimum values at the half ripe stage, and the relative content of monoterpenes was bigger than that of sesquiterpenes. The formation of esters in mango skin and flesh was found at the green ripe stage, and the highest relative content was found at the half ripe stage. With increasing degree of maturity, the relative content of alcohols in mango skin presented an increase, while mango flesh at the half ripe stage exhibited the highest accumulation of alcohols. The accumulation patterns of aldehydes in mango skin and flesh were different, and the highest accumulations of aldehydes in them were found at the full ripe and the half ripe stages, respectively. The relative content of hydrocarbons in mango flesh kept gradually decreasing during ripening, whereas mango skin exhibited the highest relative content of hydrocarbons at the half ripe stage. Most volatile compounds were formed at the half ripe stage. Therefore, regulation of mango fruits at this stage is of great significance for the improvement of their aroma quality.

Key words: mango fruit, aroma compounds, GC-MS, degree of maturity