FLAVOR BIOGENERATION IN MANGABA (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) FRUIT

<p>Most of the volatile flavoring substances are formed during maturation of fruit when it ripens. In this study, the mangaba (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) fruit was harvested at half-ripe and ripe stages of maturity and analyzed for its volatile components. The extracts were obtained from the fruit pulp by using simultaneous distillation and extraction technique. Several extraction parameters such as weight of the pulp, dilution with water, solvent volume and extraction period were standardized to obtain highly characteristic fruit aroma extracts. The extracts were analyzed for the identification of volatile compounds by using a system of high resolution gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer. Eighty-six components were separated out of which 46 compounds were positively identified. The volatile flavoring substances pertaining to classes of esters and terpenes increased from 6.19 to 35.487% and from 7.51 to 10.40%, respectively. The principal volatile compounds present in the pulp of ripe mangaba fruit were isopropyl acetate (19.23%), 3-hexanol (10.74%), linalool (7.38%), ä-limonene (2.43%), 3-pentanol (3.80%), 3-ethyl 2-buten-1-ol (2.53%) and furfural (1.52%). Biogeneration of mangaba flavor is mainly characterized due to the presence of compounds pertaining to esters, aldehydes and terpenes.