Comprehensive Evaluation of the ‘Shixia’ Longan Quality under Postharvest Ambient Storage: The Volatile Compounds Played a Critical Part
Jingyi Li,
Tao Luo,
Jianhang Xu,
Difa Zhu,
Dongmei Han,
Zhenxian Wu
Affiliations
Jingyi Li
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables, Engineering Research Center of Southern Horticultural Products Preservation, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Tao Luo
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables, Engineering Research Center of Southern Horticultural Products Preservation, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jianhang Xu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables, Engineering Research Center of Southern Horticultural Products Preservation, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Difa Zhu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables, Engineering Research Center of Southern Horticultural Products Preservation, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Dongmei Han
Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree, Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Zhenxian Wu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables, Engineering Research Center of Southern Horticultural Products Preservation, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Longan fruit generally undergoes rapid quality deterioration during the postharvest stage, with the manifestation of flavor loss as well as pronounced off-odor production. Nevertheless, the unapparent aroma makes people ignore the odor change in postharvest longan. Sensory analysis serves as an indispensable method combining instrumental detection and the perceptibility of human sensation in a comprehensive evaluation of quality during production and consumption. In this study, we established the evaluating data of the appearance, flavor, taste substances, volatile profiles, and deterioration of ‘Shixia’ longan throughout room-temperature storage using instrument assessment and descriptive measurements. Our results indicated that both the appearance state and the taste condition notably engendered confusion or trouble for consumers to judge under the quality transition period. Conversely, the development of odor was highly consistent with that of quality deterioration. Some unpleasant volatile substances including alcohol (ethanol), acid (acetic acid), and esters (acetic acid methyl ester and ethyl acetate) were probably the cause of off-odor during the storage. The result of the sensory evaluation also presents a more significant relevance between the overall quality and the odor. Generally, the work paved the way to reveal the importance of odor profiles for assessing the comprehensive quality condition of postharvest room-temperature stored longan.
