Objective Volatiles in maturing Minxuan dwarf bananas after color change were analyzed for quality and processing determinations.

Method Headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) was applied for the chemical analysis in stages as the fruit peel color changing gradually from mostly green (S3) to partially yellow (S5) and from entirely yellow (S7) to appearance of numerous brown spots (S9). Principal volatiles released from the fruit in the process were determined.

Result  Twenty-three aldehydes, esters, and alcohols that scored greater than 800 on the index for a positive or negative correlation with the banana maturity were identified. Three of them existed in the stage of S3; 11 in S5; 21 in S7; and 22 in S9. Between the stages S3 and S5, aldehydes were the dominant aromatics. In S7-S9, aldehydes decreased significantly, while esters, mainly acetates and butyrates, increased significantly toward the end. Aldehydes and isoamyl acetate appeared to closely relate with the fruit maturation. The principal component scores clearly showed that the changes in type and content of the volatiles significantly parallelled the progress of fruit ripening.

Conclusion  The volatile substances in Minxuan dwarf bananas changed closely with the ripening of the fruits. Aldehydes and isoamyl acetate could be used an effective indicator to evaluate banana maturity.