Seed sprouting in intact fruit produces an off-flavor in late harvest grapefruit juice. The objective of this study was to characterize and identify this off-flavor using GC-olfactometry and GC-MS. Juice headspace volatiles from sprouted and non-sprouted grapefruit as well as crushed seed sprouts were compared. Dimethyl anthranilate (DMA) was identified as the compound primarily responsible for the undesirable aroma among 31 aroma active compounds identified. DMA concentrations in sprouted grapefruit juice ranged from 15,900 to 17,000 μg/L. These concentrations are over 100 times greater than the reported DMA odor threshold (157 μg/L). Levels in non-sprouted juice ranged from 85 to 144 μg/L. Root sprouts emerging from seeds are soft and easily macerated during juice production. SPME static headspace analysis of hand crushed excised sprouts from late season grapefruit produced an average DMA concentration of 986 μg/L. Elevated levels of DMA in grapefruit juice produced a bubble gum/grape off-flavor.

Characterization of grapefruit seed sprout off-flavor in grapefruit juice using GC-olfactometry and GC-MS

2019 Spring National Meeting

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