Compostos voláteis de Physalis peruviana L. em diferentes estádios de maturação

Abstract

Physalis fruits have quality characteristics that are very attractive to consumers, and among the attributes considered important are aroma and flavor. However, these characteristics undergo changes throughout the ripening process, affecting the quality of the fruit. Therefore, the objective of this work was to verify the influence of maturation stages on the production of volatile compounds in physalis. Fruits were harvested at five maturation stages which were determined from the color of the cup, characterized as: green; yellowish-green; greenish yellow; yellow and yellow-brown. The volatile compounds quantification was performed using a gas chromatograph. The analysis of the principal components was carried out in the MetaboAnalyst program. In the physalis fruits a large amount of compounds were identified, totaling 85 compounds, being 32 esters, 19 alcohols, 12 aldehydes, 8 terpenes, 8 ketones, 2 acids, 2 lactones, and 1 oxide and 1 ether. Among these, 43 compounds were influenced by maturation, with ethyl butanoate being one of the main ones. In general, the compounds have a higher concentration in the yellow-green and yellow stages. The yellowish-green and brownish-yellow stages showed a lower concentration of volatile compounds, which may be associated with auxin and ethylene. Ethyl butanoate was the compound present in the highest concentration that was altered in function of the maturation stages and presented a behavior similar to most volatiles and, therefore, it can be used as a marker of aroma quality in physalis. In this sense, aldehydes, alcohols and esters increased as a function of ripening. Most of the compounds showed a higher concentration in the greenish-yellow and yellow stages, so these stages characterize the ideal time for harvesting, as they have higher aromatic quality.