Abstract

The aim of this study was to perform an analysis on the volatile profile differences in six pawpaw cultivars. There are over 30 pawpaw cultivars known to exist, and the flavor differences can be quite different for each; however, limited flavor analytical work has been done to understand which flavor compounds could be causing those differences. Recent work in Dr. Zyzak’s lab using gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) has identified key aroma compounds in the KSU-AtwoodTM cultivar. However, little is known about the other cultivars. This approach involved two steps: using a combination of GC-O and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify the important aroma compounds and developing a solvent extraction method to quantitate those compounds. I focused on the quantitation of 5 key aroma compounds that contribute to fruity and creamy/buttery flavors that are consistently perceived in the different varieties, albeit at different levels. Those five compounds are acetoin, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl octanoate. These high-intensity, odor-active compounds contribute to the sweet, creamy, mango, pineapple, and banana-like characteristics used to describe the flavor of pawpaw fruit. The results of this study showed that higher ethyl-esters levels are associated with more tropical fruit and mango/pineapple character found in the KSU-Atwood™, Mango, and Sunflower cultivars. The high acetoin and lower ester levels lead to a creamy, buttery/banana character associated with the KSU-ChappellTM, KSU-Benson™, and SusquehannaTM cultivars. The learnings from this study can be used to further evaluate additional pawpaw cultivars.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 2024

Mentor

Dr. LiLi Zyzak

Mentor Department Affiliation

Chemistry

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

Chemistry

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