Development of a Flavor Profile of `Gala' Apples Using OSME Sensory Technique

• Published in: HortScience Vol. 30; no. 4; p. 889
• Main Authors: Plotto, A., McDaniel, M.R., Mattheis, J.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-07-1995
• ISSN: 0018-5345; 2327-9834
• DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.30.4.889E

`Gala' is an early season apple variety that has a distinctive aroma and flavor. Studies were conducted to identify volatile compounds that contribute to `Gala' aroma. `Gala' apples were harvested at optimum maturity in a commercial orchard. Volatile compounds were trapped on activated charcoal using dynamic headspace sampling and eluted with carbon disulfide. Odor profiles of the samples were determined using OSME, a method developed at Oregon State Univ. that combines gas chromatography and olfactometry with a time-intensity scale. Three trained panelists described odor characteristics of compounds eluted through a sniff port of a gas chromatograph. Compounds were identified by matching Kovats indices with those of standards and also by mass spectrometry. Butyl acetate, 2-methyl butyl acetate, and pentyl acetate were characteristic of `Gala' apple. Methyl-2-methyl butyrate, ethyl-2-methyl butyrate, pentyl acetate, and butyl-2-methyl butyrate carried apple-like descriptors.