Volatile organic compounds in the aril juices and seeds from selected five pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars

Figures & data

Table 1. Chemical and physical characterization¹ in the juice of five pomegranate cultivars grown in Turkey.

						Juice color
Cultivar	Type	Total soluble solid (TSS) (%)	Titratable acidity (TA)(%)	TSS/TA	BrimA	pH	L*	Chroma	a*	b*	Hue
”Devedişi”	Sweet	17.40 ± 0.07^b	0.42 ± 0.02^a	41.43 ± 0.04^c	16.56 ± 0.11^c	3.24 ± 0.01^c	10.76 ± 1.95	29.57 ± 2.18^bc	28.51 ± 1.87^bc	7.84 ± 1.47^b	15.38 ± 1.87^b
“Ekşi”	Sour	14.78 ± 0.10^a	1.47 ± 0.15^c	10.05 ± 1.97^a	11.84 ± 1.40^a	2.97 ± 0.13^a	8.83 ± 1.50	25.91 ± 1.08^b	25.12 ± 0.90^b	6.29 ± 0.84^b	14.06 ± 1.32^b
“Hicaz”	Sour-sweet	17.27 ± 0.83^b	1.62 ± 0.17d	10.70 ± 0.84^a	14.03 ± 0.58^b	3.31 ± 0.17^c	11.40 ± 3.75	32.10 ± 6.68^c	30.46 ± 2.07^c	9.96 ± 2.12^bc	18.10 ± 2.05^c
‘Katırbaşı’	Sour-sweet	15.72 ± 0.74^a	1.06 ± 0.22^b	14.83 ± 2.63^b	13.60 ± 0.29^b	3.01 ± 0.15^ab	12.08 ± 0.29	26.22 ± 1.77^b	25.09 ± 1.42^b	7.27 ± 1.55^b	16.01 ± 2.54^bc
‘Keben’	Sour-sweet	14.80 ± 0.09^a	1.01 ± 0.03^b	14.65 ± 0.05^b	12.78 ± 0.17^ab	3.16 ± 0.03^bc	12.23 ± 0.08	19.71 ± 0.09^a	19.66 ± 0.09^a	0.85 ± 0.20^a	2.48 ± 0.68^a
ANOVA p-value		***	***	***	**	**	NS	*	*	**	***

¹Mean values (n = 9) followed by different letters in the same column indicate significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) for the juices of pomegranates.

Significant difference at *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001 among pomegranate juices.

nd: not detected; NS: not significant (p > 0.05).

Table 2. Mean contents (relative percentages) of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) identified in the headspace of the arils-only juices and seeds (kernel without pulp) from selected five pomegranate cultivars.

			Juices						Seeds
			Sweet	Sour	Sour–sweet				Sweet	Sour	Sour–sweet
Compounds	RT	RI	D.dişi	Ekşi	Hicaz	K.bası	Keben	P	D.dişi	Ekşi	Hicaz	K.bası	Keben	P
Alcohols (22)
Etanol^1	5.09	843.86	0.7^a	nd	160^c	0.5^a	1.9^b	***	4.0^a	nd	9.3^b	nd	nd	**
2-Methyl -3-buten-2-ol	6.96	976.40	nd	0.33	0.98	0.44	0.24	NS
3-Methyl -1-butanol	11.42	1171.33	nd	nd	1.6	nd	nd	–	nd	nd	0.53	nd	nd	–
(E)-2-Hexen-1-ol^1	12.03	1191.67	2.4	0.3	nd	nd	nd	**
3-Methyl-2-buten-1-ol	14.55	1297.84	6.8^b	2.3^a	2.4^a	12.2^d	15.1^c	***	nd	0.3	nd	nd	nd	–
1-Hexanol^1	15.51	1345.73	29^b	44^c	21^a	34.^b	32^b	**	49^a	52^a	45^a	49^a	64^b	**
(Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol	15.80	1361.81	13^b	18^c	9.2^a	8.6^a	8.6^a	**	8.0^a	6.0^a	6.8^a	9.5^b	10^b	**
4-Methyl -1-hexanol	15.85	1362.81	nd	0.2	nd	nd	nd	–	0.5	0.8	1.2	0.6	0.5	NS
Dihydromyrcenol	16.74	1408.93	0.1	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	NS
Heptenol	16.82	1413.69	nd	1.0	1.1	nd	nd	NS
Hexalin(Cyclohexanol)	16.99	1423.81							0.5	0.8	1.3	0.6	0.5	NS
2-Ethyl-1-hexanol	17.35	1445.24	0.5	1.1	0.5	1.3	1.6	NS
L-Linalool	17.40	1448.21	nd	1.09	0.42	nd	nd	NS
4-Terpineol	18.32	1502.98	3.4^c	0.8^a	1.2^ab	2.2^b	1.9^b	**
L-(-)-Menthol	18.52	1517.24	0.2	nd	0.2	0.1	0.4	NS
1-Nonanol^1	19.03	1552.41	3.8^c	0.5^b	0.2^a	0.3^a	0.5^b	***
β-Citronellol	20.22	1638.76	0.2	nd	0.1	1.0	nd	NS
1-Octanol^1	20.84	1686.82	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.33	0.4	NS	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	NS
1-Decanol	21.20	1716.24	nd	0.97	nd	nd	nd	–
p-Cymen-8-ol	21.26	1721.37	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	nd	NS
α-Terpineol	24.40	2006.54	0.9^a	4.7^b	5.3^b	4.9^b	7.1^c	***	0.4	0.5	0.7	1.0	0.7	NS
Phenylethyl alcohol	27.27	>2000	1.2	nd	0.2	nd	nd	NS	0.3	1.4	0.5	1.1	0.8	NS
Terpenes (10)
β-Pinene^1	9.79	1117.00	1.1	nd	1.2	nd	nd	NS	0.7^a	nd	2.3^b	2.1^b	nd	**
β-Myrcene	10.31	1134.33	3.4^a	5.1^b	3.5^a	15^cd	14^c	***	15^c	4.9^a	8.0^b	11^b	10^b	***
γ-Terpinene	12.68	1217.24	0.8	nd	0.3	nd	nd	NS	0.9	0.05	0.7	1.0	nd	NS
p-Cymene^1	13.41	1248.71	1.4	nd	0.5	nd	nd	*	1.4^b	0.2^a	0.6^a	1.0^b	nd	*
α-Pinene	16.24	1382.41	0.2^a	0.4^a	0.2^a	2.4^b	0.4^a	**
α-Terpinolene	18.25	1498.81	0.5^a	nd	nd	0.8^a	1. 5^b	*
(E)-α-Bergamotene^1	21.68	1757.26	3.7^b	0.2^a	0.3^a	0.4^a	0.2^a	*	1.6^b	0.2^a	0.9^a	2.2^b	0.3^a	**
(E)-Caryophyllene^1	22.16	1798.29	5.7^c	2.0^b	0.5^a	2.7^b	2.9^b	**	2.5^b	0.5^a	0.6^a	3.2^b	0.4^a	**
(E)-β-Farnesene	24.11	1978.85	2.8	0.1	0.1	nd	nd	NS	0.1	nd	0.2	0.2	nd	NS
Esters (8)
Ethyl acetate^1	4.39	744.44	1.1^a	nd	14^b	nd	nd	***	0.1	nd	2.5	nd	nd	**
Hexyl isobutyrate	21.22	1717,95	2.3^b	0.2^a	0.1^a	0.3^a	0.4^a	**
3-Methyl butyl acetate	21.84	1770.94	nd	nd	1.91	nd	nd	–
Ethyl salisylate	22.21	1802.70	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	NS
Hexyl butanoate	22.39	1818.92	0.4	0.6	0.2	nd	nd	NS
Methyl dihydro jasmonate	22.57	1835.14	1.2	1.1	1.2	2.1	2.3	NS
Iron monocarbonyl^2	26.58	>2000	0.3	nd	0.2	0.5	1.3	NS	nd	0.1	0. 5	0.4	0.3	NS
Methyl salisylate	27.22	>2000	0.5	0.3	0.4	0.6	0.6	NS	nd	0.1	nd	nd	nd	–
Aldehydes (7)
Hexanal^1	8.17	1042.78	1.5^a	5.7^c	3.5^b	1.4^a	1.0^a	**	0.7^a	16^b	1.2^b	0.2^a	0.3^a	***
(E)-2-Hexen-1-al	12.20	1197.33	0.8	0.8	0.4	0.2	0.1	NS	2.2^b	5.6^c	4.4^c	1.2^a	1.4^a	**
3-Methyl butanal	15.58	1349.25	nd	nd	nd	nd	nd	–	5.6^a	4.2^a	6.1^a	6.6^a	8.2^b	*
Nonanal^1	16.01	1370.85	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.3	nd	NS
2,4-Hexadienal	17.01	1425.00	0.8	0.8	0.4	0.2	0.1	NS	2.2^b	5.6^c	4.4^c	1.2^a	1.3^a	**
Benzaldehyde^1	20.52	1662.02	0.6	nd	0.2	0.3	nd	NS	0.3	1.2	0.2	0.8	0.3	NS
Phenylacetaldehyde	23.40	1910.58							1.5^a	3.1^b	0.9^a	2.7^b	1.4^a	**
Ketones (4)
6-Methyl-5-hepten-2-one	14.71	1305.53	nd	nd	0.30	0.07	nd	NS
2-Nonanone	16.80	1412.50	0.2	0.7	0.3	0.3	1.1	NS
p-Menth-1-en-3-one semicarbazone	16.92	1419.64	0.4	0.4	0.1	0.3	0.4	NS
6-Methyl-γ-ionone	21.37	1730.77	nd	0.3	0.1	nd	nd	NS
Acids (3)
3-Methyl butanoic acid	22.25	1806,31	0.2	nd	0.8	nd	0.4	NS	nd	nd	0.1	nd	nd	–
Octanoic acid^1	23.38	1908.65	nd	nd	1.3	nd	nd
Decanoic acid^1	25.05	2067.29	1.0^a	1.7^b	nd	nd	nd	*
Phenolic compounds (6)
Styrene (Cinnamane)	12.98	1230.17	nd	0.5^a	0.5^a	2.2^b	1.0^a	**
Methyl(1-methylethenyl)- benzene	18.28	1500.60							0.4	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.4	NS
2,3-Dimethyl oxirane	18.46	1513.10	0.3	nd	nd	0.2	0.3	NS
6-Methyl-2- phenylindole	20.57	1665.89	nd	0.4	0.1	0.4	nd	NS	nd	nd	1.0	nd	nd	–
Guaiacol	25.36	2096.26	0.8	1.8	0.3	1.1	1.1	NS	0.3	0.4	1.1	1.4	0.5	NS
Methyl isoeugenol	38.08	>2000	1.4^ab	1.9^b	1.0^a	2.1^b	nd	*	0.4^a	0.4^a	0.5^a	1.5^b	0.6^a	*

D.dişi “Devedişi” pomegranate; K.başı “Katırbaşı” pomegranate.

²“Iron monocarbonyl” is Iron monocarbonyl (1.3-butadiene-1.4-dicarbonic acid. diethyl ester) a.a’-dipyridyl.

Mean values (n = 9) followed by different letters in the same row indicate significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) for the juice or seed of pomegranate fruits.

Significant difference at *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001 in the juice or seed of pomegranate fruits.

nd: not detected; NS: not significant.

RI: retention index based on identified compound retention times (RTs). Calculated from linear equation between each pair of straight alkanes (C5–C25 and C7-C40).

¹Compounds verified with authentic standards. All compunds were also considered to be tentative (based on the mass spectroscopy libraries, Wiley7n.1 and Nist 02.L).

Figure 1. Percentage compositions of the main classes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the juice (Panel A) and seed (Panel B) of “Devedişi,” “Ekşi,” “Hicaz,” “Katırbaşı,” and “Keben” pomegranate accessions.

Figure 2. Discriminant analysis of the percentage compositions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in “Devedişi” (code no. 1), “Ekşi” (code no. 2), “Hicaz” (code no. 3), “Katırbaşı” (code no. 4), and “Keben” (code no. 5) pomegranate accessions.

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