J S C Food

~ Agric 1991,54, 329-337

Induction of Certain Aroma Volatiles in Feijoa Fruit by

Postharvest Application of Acetaldehyde or Anaerobic
Conditions

Edna Pesis, Giora Zauberman and Ilana Avissar

Department of Fruit and Vegetable Storage, ARO, The Volcani Center, PO Box 6,
Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

(Received 22 January 1990; revised version received 14 June 1990;

accepted 10 July 1990)

ABSTRACT

Postharvest application of acetaldehyde ( A A ) vapour or anaerobic

conditions of N , or C 0 2for 24 h to hand-picked feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana
Berg)fruits caused the accumulation of volatiles, which increasedfruit aroma
and flavour. The volatiles, A A , ethanol, ethyl acetate and ethyl butyrate,
were produced at high concentrations in treated fruit held for 13 days in
storage at 20°C whereas in the control fruits the levels remained very low.
A sensory panel judged the treated fruits to be sweeter than the controls,
although there was no significant difference in the total soluble solids or
acidity between the treated and the non-treated feijoas. Treatment with 98%
N 2 for 24 h was most effective for volatile production. Moreover, fruits in
the N 2 treatment maintained the best appearance after storage f o r 13 days
at 20°C.

Key words: Feijoa sellowiana. Acca sellowiana, acetaldehyde, aroma

volatiles, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, taste.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important processes accompanying fruit ripening is the increase
in the production of volatile compounds which contribute to fruit aroma and
flavour. Acetaldehyde (AA), a natural aroma component of almost every fruit,
accumulates during ripening (Fidier 1968). Application of AA vapour has been
shown to lead to changes in fruit ripening processes (Fidler 1968; Pesis and Avissar
1989), including the flavour enhancement of pears, tomatoes, blueberries (Paz et
329

J Sci Food Ayric 0022-5142/91/$03.50 0 1991 SCI. Printed in Great Britain

330 E Pesis, G Zauberman, 1 Avissar

a1 1982), grapes (Pesis and Frenkel 1989) and strawberries (Pesis and Avissar
1990). Yamashita et al (1976) showed that intact strawberries were able to
synthesize carboxylic esters on addition of aldehydes, which were reduced to
alcohols. Extensive work has been done to increase apple aroma artificially by
increasing the amounts of volatile esters in the fruit. Apple fruits treated with
propionic and butyric acids showed an increase in the corresponding esters
(De Pooter et al 1981, 1983). It was reported that in apples carboxylic acids were
precursors of aldehydes and alcohols, which led to the formation of volatile esters
(De Pooter et al 1987). Bartley et al(1985) showed that alcohols applied to apples
were converted to the corresponding esters. The biosynthesis of ethyl acetate and
ethyl butyrate in fruits probably proceeds by ethanolysis of acetyl-CoA and
butyryl-ACP, respectively (Nursten 1971).
Application of anaerobic conditions, such as C 0 2 or N, for 24 h, can change
fruit constituents during subsequent storage. Treatment of persimmon fruits with
anaerobic conditions induced endogenous production of AA and ethanol, which
caused the removal of fruit astringency (Pesis and Ben-Arie 1984). In oranges,
anaerobic conditions for 24 h increased the production of AA, ethanol and the
monoterpene limonene (Pesis and Avissar 1990).
Feijoa fruits are usually collected in Israel from the ground after natural
abscission. At this stage the fruits have a good flavour but a very short shelf life.
In contrast, hand-picked feijoa are too acidic and do not develop their maximum
aroma and flavour, but they can be stored for longer periods and maintain better
quality during shelf life. When feijoa fruits were removed from the tree, it was
found that those fruits which were more difficult to pick at harvest had the highest
titratable acidity. However, during storage, all fruit lost the flavour and texture
characteristic of unstored feijoa (Downs et at 1988). Shaw et al (1983) identified
11 different flavour components emanating from intact feijoa fruits after natural
abscission, and concluded that ethyl butyrate was an important volatile which
contributed to the aroma of feijoa fruit.
In the present work the effect of applied acetaldehyde or anaerobic conditions
for 24 h on production of selected volatiles in hand-picked feijoa, and their influence
on the sensory quality of the fruit, were studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana Berg or Acca sellowiana) fruits were harvested from a
local orchard at Bet Elazari. Fruits, 5-6cm in diameter, which were about to
abscise were picked using only slight manual pressure. All treatments as outlined
below were performed on the day of harvest.
Feijoa fruits (c 5 kg in each jar) were placed in 20-litre air-tight glass jars at
20°C. The fruits in the jars were ventilated continuously for 24 h with air enriched
with AA vapours in various concentrations at a flow of 500 ml min-' as described
previously (Pesis and Avissar 1989). The applied AA vapour concentrations were:
1500f.300 ,d litre-', 3000k400 pl litre-' and 45OOt-500 pl litre-'. After
treatment, the fruits were ventilated with humid air alone for an additional 24 h;
Induction of aroma volatiles in feijoa fruit 331

the control fruits were ventilated with humid air for 48 h. In addition to the AA
treatment, feijoa fruits were enclosed in 20-litre jars with an initial gas space
mixture of (a) CO,/O,, 99:l v/v (CO, treatment), (b) N,/O,, 98:2 v/v (N,
treatment) or (c) CO,/N,/O,, 49:50:1 v/v (CO,/N, treatment). These gas mixtures
were imposed in the jars after flushing the jars containing the fruits with C O , from a
100% CO, cylinder, or with N, from a N, generator, for 1 h at 500mlmin-'.
The jars were kept closed for 24 h and then opened, after which the fruits were
transferred to cardboard boxes. During the treatments gas samples of the headspace
were taken from the jars, and the concentrations of AA, ethanol, CO,, N, and
0, were determined by gas chromatographic techniques as described previously
(Pesis and Avissar 1990).
Samples of fruits were checked for visual appearance after treatment and after
shelf-life trials of 7 and 13 days at 20°C. In addition, fruits from each treatment
were hand squeezed and the juice was filtered through two layers of muslin. Three
replicate samples of this juice, each obtained from three fruits, were used for each
treatment. The juice was checked for total soluble solids (TSS), and titrateable
acidity was calculated as citric acid. To determine endogenous AA, ethanol, ethyl
acetate and ethyl butyrate, 10-ml samples ofjuice were transferred to 50-ml conical
flasks, which were sealed with rubber serum caps. The volatiles were detected in
the headspace by GC against known standards as described by Davis and Chace
(1969), using a 20% Carbowax 20M packed-column flame ionisation detector at
18O"C,carrier gas N,, injection temperature 110°C, oven temperature 80°C. Liquid
standards were prepared in a cold room at 4°C as a mixture of the four components
in 10 ml water. The samples and the standard were placed in a water bath at 30°C
with an agitation speed of 90 oscillations per minute for 20 min, before 1 ml
headspace gas samples were taken by syringe and injected into the GC. Every
sample was analysed twice.
Taste was determined by sensory evaluation of small, peeled sections of fruit
that were cut from at least 12 fruits of each treatment. The taste panel consisted
of 20 trained judges who were asked to grade sweetness and sourness. The samples
were evaluated using a ten-point quality scale. The sum of scores produced for
each sample was divided by the number of taste panellists, and the quotient was
used as the sensory score.
All data were subjected to analysis of variance. The volatiles data are means of
six measurements (three replicates each checked twice) quoted with their standard
error. Data of sensory scores are means of 20 measurements SE. The experiments
were done in two subsequent years four times. A representative experiment is
presented.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Application of various concentrations of AA for 24 h caused an increase in the

production of volatiles. The levels of endogenous AA and ethanol found in the
juice increased as the AA concentrations applied exceeded 3000pl litre-' (Fig 1).
The concentration of ethanol one day after treatment was 30-40 times higher than
332 E Pesis, G Zauherman, I Acissar

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15
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W
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2-
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Fig 1. Effects of AA applied for 24h on

2
~ 5
and
accumulation
7 days after
of AA
treatment
and ethanol
at 20°C.
in feijoa
Error
fruits
bars1
2
5
represent standard error of the mean where this
value exceeds the size of the symbols.

EXOGENOUS ACETALDEHYDE VAPORS (pI/L)

that of AA, suggesting a rapid conversion of AA to ethanol, apparently by alcohol

dehydrogenase. This higher level of ethanol was also found in other fruits such as
persimmon, citrus, grape and strawberries (Pesis and Ben-Arie 1984; Pesis and
Avissar 1989, 1990; Pesis and Frenkel 1989) that were treated with AA, probably
because AA is an intermediate and ethanol is an end product in the anaerobic
pathway. After 7 days at 20"C, a pronounced reduction in the levels of ethanol
was observed in the 3000-4500 pl litre-' AA-treated fruits whereas the reduction
in AA was very moderate in these fruits (Fig 1). The decrease in ethanol and AA
with shelf life can be attributed in part to evaporation of these volatiles to the
surrounding atmosphere and in part to conversion of ethanol and AA to other
metabolites, possibly via acetyl-CoA as demonstrated by Cossins (1978).
As the exogenous level of AA increased, the concentration of ethyl acetate and
ethyl butyrate found in the fruit juice increased, except in the 45OOpl litre-'
AA-treated fruits where ethyl butyrate production was lower (Fig 2). The levels
of these two esters remained high even after 7 days at 20°C. Interestingly, the level
of ethyl butyrate in juice after 7 days at 20°C in the 4500 p1 litre- AA-treated '
fruits became even higher than that found after one day of treatment (Fig 2). This
may indicate that biosynthesis of ethyl butyrate continues during shelf life, as
happened with other esters in apples treated with carboxylic acids (De Pooter et
a1 1981, 1983). It was shown in strawberries treated with butanal that the levels
of the butyl esters increased with incubation time whereas butanal and 1-butanol
decreased during incubation (Yamashita et al 1976).
Application of anaerobic conditions for 24 h caused accumulation of endogenous
Induction of aroma uolatiles in feijoa fruit 333

30 r

Fig 2. Effects of AA applied for 24 h on

accumuiation of ethyl acetate and ethyl butyrate
in feijoa fruits 1 and 7 days after treatment at
20°C. Error bars represent standard error of the
mean where this value exceeds the size of the
symbols.

EXOGENOUS ACETALDEHYDE VAPORS ()rl/L)

volatiles to levels even higher than those produced after 4 5 0 0 ~ 1litre-' AA

treatment (Fig 3). The concentrations of AA were highest in the CO,/N,- and
N,-treated feijoa one day after treatment. However, in the N,-treated feijoa the
AA levels remained high after 13 days at 20°C, as compared with the other
treatments which showed a gradual decrease in the endogenous AA (Fig 3A).
The production of ethanol was highest in the CO,/N,- and N,-treated fruits.
Seven days after treatment at 20°C the levels of ethanol dropped in all treatments
and remained at almost the same level after 13 days at 20°C (Fig 3B).
The production of ethyl acetate in feijoas treated with the different anaerobic
conditions was high for 13 days of storage at 2 0 T , whereas in 4 5 0 0 ~ 1litre-'
AA-treated fruits there was a gradual decrease in ethyl acetate concentrations
during the storage period (Fig 3C). It is possible that AA which is formed
endogenously by anaerobic conditions converts immediately into esters via acetyl
CoA. Cossins (1978) showed that plant tissue can utilise ethanol and AA by the
conversion of ethanol via AA to acetyl-CoA. Gilliver and Nursten (1976), using
banana slices, showed that acyl-CoA can act as an acylating agent in ester
formation.
 w
w
1400r P

2ol T A TIME
TREATMENT
AFTER

0 I DAV
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R 13WVS

:H,W CONTROC
TREATMENT
TREATMENT

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:Oz/Nz N, :H,CHO CONTROL C%/N* Nz CH3CH0 CONTROL

TREATMENT TREATMENT

Fig 3. Effects of anaerobic conditions and AA (CH,CHO 4500 pI litre-') application for 24 h on accumulation of endogenous acetaldehyde (A),
ethanol (B), ethyl acetate (C), and ethyl butyrate (D) in feijoa fruits 1, 7 and 13 days after treatment at 20°C. Error bars represent standard error y1

of the mean where this value exceeds the width of the bar line. E:
Induction of aroma volatiles in feijoa fruit 335

The level of ethyl butyrate remained higher during 13 days of storage at 20°C
in all treated fruits than in the control fruits (Fig 3D). Shaw et a1 (1983) showed
that ethyl butyrate in naturally abscised fruit is one of the most important volatiles
that contributes to the aroma of feijoas, but its concentration was highest on the
day of collection and declined during storage. In all treated fruits an increase in
ethyl butyrate was observed after 7 days at 20°C although this difference was not
significant in the N, treatment (Fig 3D). It has been suggested that ethyl butyrate
is formed in fruits from ethanol and butyryl-ACP (Nursten 1971). The synthesis
of butyryl-ACP from acetyl-CoA in the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway probably
continued during the 7 days of feijoa storage at 20°C, although the treatments
lasted for only 24 h. Such synthesis of butyryl-ACP may lead to further synthesis
of ethyl butyrate by ester synthetase. De Pooter et al (1981) found that, in apples
treated with propionic acid, the content of esters other than propionates was
increased when propionic acid was no longer available. For example, hexyl acetate
increased markedly only 11 days after treatment. De Pooter et al(1981) concluded
that the availability of substrate is the limiting factor in ester production. Increasing
the amount of ethyl butyrate in the treated fruits may therefore contribute to the
enhancement of feijoa sensory quality.
Examination of the flavour quality of feijoa fruits one day after the treatment
at 20°C showed that all treated fruits had a significantly higher score for sweetness
and lower scores for sourness compared with the untreated fruits. The sweetness
and sourness scores given to the differently treated fruits were quite similar (Fig
4). After 13 days of shelf life only the N,-treated feijoas remained sweeter (5.8
score) than the control (1.7 score), while the other treatments were similar to the
control in sweetness. In addition, the N,-treated feijoas maintained the best
appearance after 13 days of storage at 20°C. Similarly it has been observed in
orange fruits that N, treatment is useful for enhancing fruit quality and appearance
after extended storage (Pesis and Avissar 1989).
Measuring the TSS and acidity of the juice from the different treatments revealed
no significant difference between the treated and the controi fruits as regards the
per cent acidity, TSS and TSS/acid ratio. The average level for TSS was 1OOg
litre- and for acidity 12.3 g litre-' in juice. During 13 days of storage there was
a small decline in TSS levels and acidity in both treated and control fruits. Studies

10

E S
fn
>
a
g
z
4
w Fig 4. Effects of anaerobic conditions and AA (CH,CHO
fn
2
4500 p1 litre-') application for 24 h on sensory quality
(ten-point quality scale, where 10=most sweet or most sour)
of feijoa fruits one day after treatment at 20°C. Error bars
0 represent standard error of the mean.
SWEETNESS SOURNESS
336 E Pesis, G Zauberrnan, I Auissar

done in New Zealand showed that the soluble solids content of feijoa fruit harvested
over the late maturation period, before and after abscission, remained stable at
about 100-110 g litre-’ (Harman 1987). In another study, done on two feijoa
cultivars (‘Apollo’ and ‘Gemini’), soluble solids and acidity declined over storage
irrespective of retention force at harvest (Downs et a1 1988).
The results of sensory scores one day after treatment (Fig 4)are closely associated
with the high volatile levels found in the treated feijoa compared with the control
fruits (Fig 3), suggesting that the sweetness in feijoa is due to factors other than
TSS or acidity. Enhancement of fruit sensory quality by acetaldehyde vapours
was found previously in blueberry, tomato and pear (Paz et al 1982) and in grape
(Pesis and Frenkel 1989). However, the higher taste score given to these fruits was
associated with an increase in the TSS/acid ratio.
In conclusion, although the selected aroma components of feijoa that were
sampled for here represent only a fraction of the entire aroma makeup of this fruit
(Shaw et a1 1983), we suggest that they provide useful markers for determining
the relative success of our different treatments. Anaerobic conditions, particularly
N, treatment for 24 h, can therefore serve as a potentially practical tool in
preserving and enhancing the sensory quality of feijoa fruits.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Supported by grant No 1-900-85from BARD. The United States-Israel Binational

Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel,
No 2527-E, 1989 series.

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