Analysis of Apple Flavours: The Use of Volatile Organic Compounds to Address Cultivar Differences and the Correlation between Consumer Appreciation and Aroma Profiling

In the selection of apple (Malus domestica Borkh) fruits, consumers predominantly use visual and organoleptic responses, such as aroma and texture, as quality/preference markers. Previous studies profiling the sensory properties and aroma profiles of apple varieties have provided a lexicon describing important attributes within the modalities of aroma, texture, and flavour. The range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by four apple cultivars was assessed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). To facilitate automated dynamic headspace extraction of the VOCs from bulk samples, a small multichamber thermal extraction system was used. Forty compounds were detected and putatively identified by mass spectral comparison with NIST libraries. Eight compounds were not previously identified in apples. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PerMANOVA) and canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP) done on the whole volatile organic compound profiles show separation of the four cultivars. The use of random forest classification enabled the determination of a minimum set of fifteen potential VOC markers that successfully differentiate the cultivars under study. Trends across samples, VOCs, and sensory evaluation are revealed. The association between 4-hexen-1-ol acetate with texture/consistency, and crispiness, and correlation of 2-methylbut-2-en-1-yl acetate with juiciness and acidity is shown for the first time. These sensory correlations indicate that the compounds determined by this experiment could be used as objective markers for the consumer appreciation of fresh apples, enabling the optimum conditions for processing and storage of individual cultivars to be identified without recourse to expensive sensory panels in every case. Such tests could also be used as part of routine quality control by the producer and retailer, reducing costs and eliminating waste due to batches of inferior product.