Comparison of odour active compounds detected by gas-chromatography-olfactometry between hand-squeezed juices from different orange varieties

Twenty-two overall odour active compounds were detected by gas chromatography-olfactometry in hand-squeezed juices of Moro, Tarocco, Washington navel and Valencia late oranges. The blood juices (Moro and Tarocco) had an higher total odour intensity than the blond ones (Washington navel and Valencia late) and were characterized by 14 and 15 different odorants, while the blond ones by 12. Moreover, methyl butanoate and ethyl octanoate were the odorants perceived in both the blood juices but not in the blond ones. Linalool was perceived only in the blond juices even if with a low frequency of detection. The aroma profile of the orange juice samples shows the same distribution, of the descriptors grouped as fruity, citrus, herbaceous, spicy and floral, for the Moro and Tarocco juices, while the aroma profiles of Washington navel and Valencia late were very different when compared with the blood varieties and each other, but in accord to those reported in the literature. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.