Effects of abscisic acid and calcium on tomato fruit aroma volatiles

Aroma volatiles are derived from precursors, such as amino acids, fatty acids and carotenoids in tomato fruit. Volatiles enhance the main flavor components in the fruit, particularly sugars. Abscisic acid (ABA) is derived from the carotenoid pathway and there may be an indirect connection to this pathway. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of ABA on tomato fruit volatiles. This study identified five flavor volatile compounds that were consistently present in “Mt. Fresh Plus” tomato fruit tissue. They were 2-methyl furan, (E)-2-hexeanl, 1-hexanol, hexenal, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one. ABA treatments did not have an effect on volatile concentrations in “Mt. Fresh Plus” tomato fruit. Majority of the volatiles identified did not differ between the ABA treated plants and the ABA control plants. However, ABA treatments did significantly decrease (E)-2-hexenal. These results indicated that ABA treatments did not have a major effect on the aroma volatile profile of the fruit.