Non-destructive aroma production of a climacteric near-isogenic line of melon obtained by headspace sorptive bar extraction technology

A climacteric aromatic near-isogenic line (NIL) of melon (Cucumis melo L.) SC3-5-1 contained an introgression of the non-climacteric Korean cultivar \'\'Shongwan Charmi\'\' accession PI 161375 (SC) into the genetic background of the non-climacteric cultivar \'\'Piel de Sapo\'\' (PS). The aroma production was monitored during ripening at 22^oC in intact fruit using headspace sorptive bar extraction (HSSE). Bars were composed by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and analysis were desorbed and aroma analysed by gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry. The aromatic profile was constituted 42 aromatic compounds with predominance of esters, particularly acetate esters (1-butanol, 2-methyl-, acetate, ethyl acetate, 1-butanol, 3-methyl-propanoate, acetic acid 2-methylpropyl ester, acetic acid, hexyl ester, acetic acid, phenylmethylester). Some compounds were severely affected by postharvest time. The acetate esters (1-butanol, 3-methyl-, acetate, acetic acid, 1-metylpropyl ester or acetic acid, phenylmethylester) decreased with ripening and sulfur-derived compounds (butanethioic acid, S-methyl or S-methyl 3-methylbutanethioate) increased gradually with ripening. Other compounds such as n-hexadecanoic acid showed a marked decrease after harvest, some declining from a relative maximum at harvest (propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, ethyl ester), or others showing an upsurge at the senescence phase (butanoic acid, 2-methyl-, ethyl ester).