fruit as examples, this review focuses on recent developments in fruit aroma research. Both sensory studies and instrumental analysis confirm the importance of volatile production in fruit and its contribution to eating quality. Sensory analysis should further define the contribution of individual volatile compounds to total flavour quality. Volatile biosynthesis and its contribution to fruit eating quality is very complex, and is influenced by many factors, such as genome, harvest maturity, and postharvest handling and storage. Application of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and transgenic lines suppressing ethylene action and biosynthesis demonstrate ethylene involvement in volatile formation and provide useful research tools to elucidate the volatile production process during fruit ripening. Cloning of genes and characterization of enzymes responsible for volatile production helps us to understand the biochemical pathways and control mechanisms. Despite the exciting developments in flavour research, several challenges still remain to be solved. An understanding of the fundamental mechanisms controlling changes in flavour quality is limited, and most biochemical pathways determining this quality trait are still unknown. As part of secondary metabolism, volatile production in fruit is a complex process with tightly controlled systems involving substrates, enzymes and energy from many pathways. It is our hope that the biochemical pathways regulating the synthesis of volatile compounds in fruit will be determined using integrated approaches, including biochemical, genomic, proteomic and microscopy tools to determine fundamental metabolism and its localization. Combining these efforts with direct measurement of sensory properties will lead us to new methods to optimize and retain fruit flavour in the market place.Key words: aroma, fruit ripening, volatile analysis, sensory, apple, strawberry, muskmelon Song, J. et Forney, C. F. 2008. Production et re´gulation de la saveur chez le fruit. Can. J. Plant Sci. 88: 537Á550. On mange de plus en plus de fruits frais, les consommateurs e´tant conscients de leur valeur nutritive et de leur roˆle dans la pre´vention de la maladie. Rehausser la saveur des fruits frais offerts au consommateur en accroıˆtrait la valeur, augmenterait leur consommation et engendrerait de nouveaux de´bouche´s. Une des principales caracte´ristiques associe´es au muˆrissement des fruits est la production d'aroˆmes. Prenant la pomme (Malus domestica), la fraise (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) et le melon brode( Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud; C. melo L. inodorus; C. melo L. cantalupensis) comme exemples, les auteurs passent en revue les progre`s re´cents re´alise´s dans la recherche sur l'aroˆme des fruits. Les e´tudes organoleptiques et les analyses instrumentales confirment l'importance de la production d'aroˆmes par le fruit et l'apport de ces derniers a`la qualite´gustative. Une analyse organoleptique devrait mieux pre´ciser la contribution des divers compose´s volatils a`la qualite´ge´ne´rale de la...