Characterization of aroma potential of apricot varieties using different extraction techniques

Aroma compounds are presents in raw foods, freely and glycosidically-bounded (aroma precursors). In the present work, the volatile fraction of eight varieties of apricot were analyzed using simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), solid phase extraction (SPE) with reverse phase (C18), liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The free aroma compounds were identified by GC–MS, finding common compounds such as linalool, α-terpineol, β-ionone and γ-decalactone and specific compounds due to the extraction method used. The ANOVA showed a significant effect in the extraction techniques and on the varieties in the free aromatic fraction from apricot as well. In spite of a large number of volatile compounds extracted by SPE, the technique that allowed for the most number of compounds to be extracted was SPME. On the other hand, aroma potentials were evaluated. Chemical hydrolysis involved in SDE thermal treatments favoring the release of terpenes, aldehydes and lactones while phenol compounds, alcohols and ketones were released after the exogenous enzymatic hydrolysis.