Bioactive Compounds and Volatile Profile Dynamics During Fruit Growth of Several Plums Cultivars

The therapeutic value of plums is provided by the contained bioactive compounds, but in consumers choice an essential role is played by the product flavour in which volatile compounds are important contributors. The content in bioactive compounds, the antioxidant activity as well as the volatile profile of three plum cultivars were determined during fruit development. In the analyzed samples, depending on cultivar, harvesting time and the position of fruit in the tree crown, the determined total phenolic content varied between ۶۰.۳۱–۶۹۹.۹۲ mg GAE ۱۰۰ g-۱, while the flavonoids and anthocyanins content ranged between ۱۱.۲۴–۲۵۴.۴۶ mg QE ۱۰۰ g-۱, and ۰.۰۹–۱.۶۵ mg CE ۱۰۰ g-۱, respectively. Using ITEX/GC-MS technique, there were ۹۹ volatile compounds detected in the samples of which ۹۳ were tentatively identified. The volatiles present in the plums cultivars included alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, terpenoids, lactones and others. The most abundant class (in all plum cultivars and developmental phases) was that of aldehydes (۴۹.۴۰–۸۷.۰۱%), the main representatives being hexanal, benzaldehyde, nonanal, heptanal and ۲-hexenal, with hexanal having the largest relative peak areas. The identification and quantification of volatile compounds and knowing their accumulation dynamic throughout the ripening process may allow better valorising of fruits depending on cultivar and harvesting time.