Volatile Metabolites

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (volatiles) comprise a chemically diverse class of low molecular weight organic compounds having an appreciable vapor pressure under ambient conditions. Volatiles produced by plants attract pollinators and seed dispersers, and provide defense against pests and pathogens. For insects, volatiles may act as pheromones directing social behavior or as cues for finding hosts or prey. For humans, volatiles are important as flavorants and as possible disease biomarkers. The marine environment is also a major source of halogenated and sulfur-containing volatiles which participate in the global cycling of these elements. While volatile analysis commonly measures a rather restricted set of analytes, the diverse and extreme physical properties of volatiles provide unique analytical challenges. Volatiles constitute only a small proportion of the total number of metabolites produced by living organisms, however, because of their roles as signaling molecules (semiochemicals) both within and between organisms, accurately measuring and determining the roles of these compounds is crucial to an integrated understanding of living systems. This review summarizes recent developments in volatile research from a metabolomics perspective with a focus on the role of recent technical innovation in developing new areas of volatile research and expanding the range of ecological interactions which may be mediated by volatile organic metabolites.

MSI.R scripts reveal volatile and semi-volatile features in low-temperature plasma mass spectrometry imaging (LTP-MSI) of chilli (Capsicum annuum)

“…VOCs are molecules with notable vapour pressure at ambient conditions. The molecular weight of this chemically diverse class is usually between 50 and 200 Da [5]. Since VOCs readily diffuse into the surrounding environment, they are predestined to Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00216-015-8744-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.…”

Development and Mining of a Volatile Organic Compound Database

“…Large portions of these defense compounds are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are involved in different ways of defense: direct defense and indirect defense. VOCs constitute only a small proportion of the total number of secondary metabolites produced by living organisms; however because of their important roles in chemical ecology specifically in the biological interactions between organisms and ecosystems, revealing and analyzing the roles of these VOCs is essential for understanding the interdependence of organisms [8]. …”

Effects of Vineyard and Winemaking Practices Impacting Berry Size on Evolution of Phenolics during Winemaking

“…Anthocyanins and tannins are responsible for the sensory features that distinguish red wines from other beverages (Cheynier 2006), including taste sensations such as bitterness (Robichaud and Noble 1990), tactile sensations such as astringency (Arnold et al 1980), and visual sensations such as color saturation and hue (Somers 1978). Anthocyanins and tannins cannot elicit aromatic sensations due to restrictions imposed by their molecular weights, which are higher than the 300 Da limit for volatility (Rowan 2011). Nevertheless, they may affect the partitioning of aromatic compounds between vapor and liquid phases, ultimately modulating both ortho-and retronasal perceived aroma (Muñoz-González et al 2014).…”