Estimation of Avocado Oil (Persea americana Mill., Greek “Zutano” Variety) Volatile Fraction over Ripening by Classical and Ultrasound Extraction Using HS-SPME–GC–MS

Abstract

The study of flavors and fragrances is a topic of rising interest from both marketing and scientific perspectives. Over the last few years, the cultivation of avocados has accelerated in Greece, with production levels elevated by 300%. There has been increasing attention from a number of growers and consumers on avocado oil, the volatiles of which form a key part of consumers’ purchase decisions. A previously unevaluated Zutano cultivar was chosen for this study. Extraction of the pulp oil was performed during three phases of ripening using Soxhlet and ultrasound techniques. Headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were utilized in order to analyze the isolated volatile fraction. At least 44 compounds, including mainly terpenoids (61.7%) and non-terpenoid hydrocarbons (35.9%), presented in the Zutano variety, while (1S,6S,7S,8S)-1,3-dimethyl-8-propan-2-yltricyclo[4.4.0.02,7]dec-3-ene (a-copaene) and (1R,9S,Z)-4,11,11-trimethyl-8-methylenebicyclo[7.2.0]undec-4-ene (β-caryophyllene) were in higher abundance. The composition of the volatiles was unaffected by the extraction techniques but was influenced by the ripening stage. Thus, during maturation, the volatile fraction fluctuates, with a significantly higher abundance of terpenoids during the fourth day of the ripe stage, whilst it decreases during over-ripening. These findings demonstrate that the Zutano variety can be used to produce an aromatic oil and hence could be used, among others, as an ingredient in cosmetic products.

Feature Papers in Compounds

“…In this way, contributions related to the synthesis [3][4][5][6] and characterization [6,7] of the compounds'-with a special interest in natural products [8][9][10][11][12]-chemical reactivity [13,14] were incorporated. Likewise, there have been contributions in the field of crystalline structures [15] and computational modeling in quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics [16].…”

“…Within this Special Issue, we should also point out that where studies on natural products are concerned, we must point out studies on the determination by chromatographic techniques of volatile organic compounds present in Dactylorhiza (D. viridis D. romana, D. saccifera and D. sambucina) [8], Himantoglossum (H. hircinum, H. adriaticum, H. robertianuma) [9,10], Barlia robertiana [10], Orchis (O. anthropophra, O. purpurea, O. italica, O. masculua, O. pauciflora, O. quadrpunctata, O. provincialis and O. pallens) [11]. Likewise, the volatile fraction of avocado oil (Persea americana, Greek variety "Zutano") was evaluated [12].…”