Investigating the aroma transition during rapid mango ripening driven by dynamic catabolism of fatty acids

Yuanping Wang; Zhenjiang Zhou; Yonghao Liu; Rongli Pang; Xi Zhao; Qi Chen; Linlin Guo; Baiyi Lu

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145326

Investigating the aroma transition during rapid mango ripening driven by dynamic catabolism of fatty acids

Food Chem. 2025 Jun 24:491:145326. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145326. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yuanping Wang¹, Zhenjiang Zhou¹, Yonghao Liu¹, Rongli Pang², Xi Zhao¹, Qi Chen³, Linlin Guo², Baiyi Lu⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Key Laboratory for Quality Evaluation and Health Benefit of Agro-Products of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety Risk Assessment of Agro-Products Storage and Preservation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450009, China.
³ Zhejiang Gongshang University Hangzhou College of Commerce, Hangzhou 311599, China.
⁴ College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Key Laboratory for Quality Evaluation and Health Benefit of Agro-Products of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety Risk Assessment of Agro-Products Storage and Preservation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: bylu@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 40587937
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145326

Abstract

This study investigated the formation and transformation of key mango aroma during rapid ripening. Physicochemical analysis and volatilomics results showed that (1) a total of 151 volatile compounds were identified across three ripening stages (immature, ripe, and overripe). Among these, 23 volatiles, including (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and geraniol (odor activity value >1), were identified as the dominant aroma compounds. (2) (E)-2-hexenal (green odor) and (E)-2-nonenal (waxy odor) were key discriminative volatiles for immature and overripe mangoes, respectively (VIP > 6). (3) Volatile divergence across stages was primarily driven by linolenic acid and linoleic acid catabolism. During ripening, C₆ aldehydes derived from linolenic acid metabolism, such as (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, conferred the characteristic mango aroma. During overripeness, linolenic acid metabolism was weakened, and linoleic acid decomposition increased by 48 %, resulting in the production of off-flavor compounds, including (E)-2-nonenal and (Z)-4-heptenal. These findings provide new insights for modern industrial mango processing, facilitating enhanced product quality.

Keywords: Aroma transformation; Fatty acids; Mango; Off-flavor; Rapid ripening.