VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF BING SWEET CHERRY FRUIT FOLLOWING CONTROLLED-ATMOSPHERE STORAGE

Volatile constituents of Bing sweet cherry fruit were analyzed by purg e and trap sampling from fruit homogenates at harvest and after air or controlled atmosphere storage. Acetic acid and aldehydes were quantit atively the largest volatile compounds present at harvest. Changes dur ing storage in the concentrations of three compounds previously identi fied as contributors to sweet cherry fruit flavor, benzaldehyde, E-2-h exenal, and hexanal, were independent of storage conditions. Ethanol a ccumulated in fruit stored in 15 or 20% CO2 with 5% O-2 after 6 weeks of storage. Qualitative and quantitative changes in ester production, particularly ethyl acetate, were coincident with the accumulation of e thanol. 2-Propanol concentrations were consistently highest in fruit s tored in 5% O-2 with 0.1% CO2. Some qualitative changes in volatile pr oduction after 4 weeks of storage were unrelated to storage conditions and may reflect metabolic changes occurring during sweet cherry senes cence. A number of esters were not detectable after 4 weeks of storage , and several compounds, including butanal, 2-butanone, and pentyl ace tate, were only detected after 4 weeks of storage.