Thesis (PhD(Agric) (Horticulture))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Plums with good taste, aroma and eating quality lead to repeat purchases and sustained demand. Taste
includes non-volatile compounds, e.g. sugars and acids, and has been well researched to meet the
consumers’ preferences. Plum aroma, however, has not enjoyed the same attention. Limited literature is
available on the aroma of Japanese plums and none could be found on the effects of relatively long cold
storage on the profiles. The main aim of this study is to investigate the changes in aroma compounds of
Japanese plums throughout maturation and ripening and the effects of commercial cold storage regimes.
Near infra-red (NIR) spectroscopy was also evaluated as a non-destructive method to determine plum
quality parameters aimed at minimising sample variability.
In Paper 1, NIR spectroscopy was used to develop prediction models for total soluble solid (TSS), total
acidity (TA), sugar-to-acid ratio, firmness and weight in three cultivars (Pioneer, Laetitia and Angeleno)
and a multi-cultivar model. Samples were collected for seven consecutive weeks and repeated over two
seasons. TSS results showed excellent predictability (R2 = 0.817-0.955; RMSEP= 0.453-0.610 % Brix)
but the TA models did not perform well. The sugar-to-acid ratio models had results comparable to that of
TSS. Both the firmness and weight models had acceptable results. The models of ‘Pioneer’ and ‘Laetitia’
had a better predictability capacity than the ‘Angeleno’ model. Although the multi-cultivar models
outperformed the single cultivar models on R2 values it had higher prediction errors. The robustness of all
the TSS, TA and firmness models is high in terms of seasonality, range and cultivar.
Papers 2 and 3, the main focus of the study, are concerned with the aroma profile dynamics of Japanese
plums. HS-SPME was used in both papers to extract the aroma compounds followed by GC-TOFMS for
separation and identification. In Paper 2, the aroma volatile compounds of three cultivars (Pioneer,
Laetitia and Angeleno) were determined for a seven week period including samples from three maturity
stages (immature, harvest and tree-ripe). A total of 35 compounds were identified of which ten were
generic. Each cultivar had five unique compounds resulting in different aroma profiles for each of the
maturity stages and distinct separation patterns using discriminant analysis.
The study was extended in Paper 3 where the aroma volatile compounds of six cultivars (Pioneer,
Sapphire, Laetitia, Songold, Larry Anne and Angeleno) and one plumcot (Flavor King) were determined at
three functional stages (commercial harvest, tree-ripe fruit and cold stored fruit). A total of 62 compounds
were identified and classified into three groups (‘unique’ (31), ‘generic’ (11) and ‘frequent’ (20)) based on their frequency of occurrence. The aroma profiles of ‘Larry Anne’ and ‘Flavor King’ are the most affected
by cold storage conditions and ‘Pioneer’ appears to be the least affected. All the cultivars have
significantly different aroma profiles at all three of the functional stages with ‘Sapphire’, ‘Larry Anne’ and
‘Flavor King’ showing the largest differences. ‘Flavor King’, a plumcot, presented a ripe aroma profile that
was much diverged from that of the true plums. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Pruime met ‘n goeie smaak, aroma en eetkwaliteit lei tot herhaalde verkope en volhoubare aanvraag.
Smaak sluit die nie-vlugtige stowwe (suikers en sure) in en is goed nagevors om die verbruikersvoorkeure
te bevredig. Pruim aroma het egter nie dieselfde aandag geniet nie. Daar is beperkte literatuur beskikbaar
wat handel oor die aroma van Japanese pruime en geen kon gevind word oor die effekte van lang
koelopberging op die aromaprofiele nie. Die hoof doel van hierdie studie is om die veranderinge in die
aromatiese komponente van Japanese pruime te ondersoek tydens die volwassewording- en
rypwordingsprosesse asook die effekte van kommersiele koelopberging. Naby infrarooi (NIR)
spektroskopie is ook geevalueer as ‘n nie-destruktiewe manier om pruim kwaliteitsparameters te bepaal
met die doel om monstervariasie te beperk.
In Artikel 1 is NIR spektroskopie gebruik om voorspellingsmodelle vir totale oplosbare suikers (TOS),
totale suur (TS), suiker-tot-suur verhouding, fermheid en gewig te bepaal in drie kultivars (Pioneer,
Laetitia en Angeleno) asook ‘n multi-kultivar model. Monsters is vir sewe opeenvolgende weke versamel
en herhaal oor twee seisoene. TOS resultate toon uitstekende voorspelbaarheid (R2 = 0.817-0.955;
RMSEP= 0.453-0.610 % Brix) maar TS modelle het egter nie so goed gevaar nie. Die suiker-tot-suur
verhoudingsmodelle se resultate was vergelykbaar met die van TOS. Beide die fermheid- en
gewigsmodelle het aanvaarbare resultate opgelewer. Die modelle vir ‘Pioneer’ en ‘Laetitia’ het ‘n beter
voorspelbaarheidskapasiteit getoon as die van ‘Angeleno’. Alhoewel die multi-kultivar model beter
presteer het as die enkel kultivar modelle op die R2-waardes was daar meer voorspellingsfoute. Hoe
robuustheid is gevind i.t.v. seisoene, datagrense en kultivar vir al die TOS, TA en fermheidsmodelle.
Artikels 2 en 3, die fokuspunt van die studie, handel oor die dinamika van die aromaprofiel van Japanese
pruime. HS-SPME is in beide artikels gebruik on die aromatiese verbindings te ekstraeer gevolg deur GCTOFMS
vir skeiding en identifikasie. In Artikel 2 is die aromatiese stowwe van drie kultivars (Pioneer,
Laetitia en Angeleno) bepaal vir sewe opeenvolgende weke en sluit monsters van drie
volwassenheidsstadiums in (onvolwasse, oes en boom-rypgemaakte pruime). ‘n Totaal van 35
verbindings is geidentifiseer waarvan tien as generies beskou kan word. Elke kultivar het vyf unieke
komponente gehad en het gelei tot verskillende aromaprofiele vir elk van die volwassenheidsstadiums en
diverse skeidingspatrone tydens die gebruik van diskriminant analise.
Die studie is uitgebrei in Artikel 3 waartydens die aromatiese vlugtige stowwe van ses kultivars (Pioneer,
Sapphire, Laetitia, Songold, Larry Anne en Angeleno) en een plumcot (Flavor King) bepaal is tydens drie
funksionele stadiums (oes, boom-rypgemaak en koelopgebergde pruime). ‘n Totaal van 62 verbindings is
geidentifiseer en in drie groepe geklassifiseer (‘uniek’ (31), ‘generies’(11) en ‘gereeld’ (20)) gebaseer op
voorkomsfrekwensie. Die aromaprofiele van ‘Larry Anne’ en ‘Flavor King’ is die meeste deur die
koelopberging geaffekteer en ‘Pioneer’ die minste. Al die kultivars het kenmerkend verskil t.o.v. hul
aromaprofiele in al drie die funksionele groepe en ‘Sapphire’, ‘Larry Anne’ en ‘Flavor King’ het die
grootste verskille getoon. ‘Flavor King’, die plumcot, het ook ‘n ryp aromaprofiel gehad wat baie van die
van die egte pruime verskil het.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6528 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Louw, Esme Denise |
| Contributors | Theron, K. I., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Horticulture. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 164 p. : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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