Aroma of peaches and nectarines: interaction between maturity at harvest, postharvest conditions and fresh-cut processing

Peach is one of the most appreciated temperate fruit worldwide with high potential value on the market. However, consumers are not satisfied with the quality attributes of peach and nectarine at consumption and are not stimulated in repurchasing the fruit. This induced a strong decrease in sales in both local and export markets with the consequent drop of revenues for producers. In addition to fresh consumption, the offer of fresh-cut peaches and nectarines is increasing and represent a valid alternative for stone fruit commercialization to match the increasing demand of ready-to-eat product on the market. The aim of this work was to explore the interaction between the maturity at harvest and the development of the fruit flavour during postharvest, including the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for the aroma. Different peach and nectarine cultivars were used as well as different technologies such as SPME-GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS to characterize the aroma profile of the fruit. Diverse cold storage lengths were applied to simulate short and long-distance export in which fruit are generally submitted to fulfil market demands. Furthermore, VOCs were also investigated on different cultivars of nectarines submitted to fresh-cut processing. When fruit were submitted to cold storage the volatile profile of the fruit was generally enhanced, weakening the differences present at harvest between maturity classes. Fresh-cut processing, induced a major variation in the volatile profile of the fruit such as the immediate release of VOCs associated with positive sensations, and the production of off-flavour volatiles over time in cold storage. A quality-oriented storage, processing and packaging should include the aroma volatiles to ensure the success of the peach and nectarine industry.