Cajá is the Brazilian name for the fruit of the small tropical tree Spondias mombin, a member of the sumac family (Anacardiaceae). It is native to the Americas and grows between southern Mexico and Brazil including some Caribbean islands. Cajá is popular due to its sweet and sour taste as well as its pleasant aroma combining fruity and sweet notes with a slight turpentine-like note. Application of an aroma extract dilution analysis to the volatiles isolated from cajá pulp by solvent extraction and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation resulted in 39 odor-active compounds with flavor dilution (FD) factors ranging from 4 to 1024. High FD factors were determined for fruity smelling ethyl butanoate (FD factor 1024), fruity, banana-like smelling 3-methylbutyl acetate (512), and caramel-like smelling 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one (512). Further odorants detected in the cajá pulp volatile isolate included ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, ethyl hexanoate, methyl 3-hydroxybutanoate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, α-pinene, myrcene, (3Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol, linalool, trans-calamenene, 2-phenylethan-1-ol, and vanillin (all FD factor 256). The clove-like, herbaceous smelling trans-calamenene was identified for the first time as an odor-active compound in cajá. To assess the exact stereochemistry of this chiral compound, synthesis of the individual enantiomers (1R,4S)-calamenene and (1S,4R)-calamenene was accomplished starting from enantiopure (2R,5S)- and (2S,5R)-menthone. Analytical separation of the enantiomers was achieved by GC-enantioGC-MS. Analysis of the cajá volatile isolate showed that the trans-calamenene in the fruit was pure (1R,4S)-calamenene and (1S,4R)-calamenene was absent. In summary, the results of the odorant screening in combination with the structure elucidation suggested that the sweet and fruity note in cajá pulp is mainly caused by fruity smelling esters such as ethyl butanoate, 3-methylbutyl acetate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, ethyl hexanoate, and methyl 3-hydroxybutanoate, as well as sweet, caramel-like smelling 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one, whereas α-pinene, myrcene, and (Z)-β-ocimene are responsible for the turpentine-like nuances.

Identification of the major odor-active compounds in cajá

2019 Spring National Meeting

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