Fingerprinting of volatile organic compounds and discrimination of pear samples by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry

The pear contains many volatile organic compounds that are responsible for its distinctive aroma, flavour and texture. The aim of this work was to develop, optimise and validate an analytical method for the determination of volatile compounds in pears using headspace gas chromatography coupled to ion mobility spectrometry. A total of 254 samples from four cultivars were analysed, and a partial least squares discriminant analysis model using 93 markers allowed differentiation between cultivars with 100 % accuracy and a Q2 of 0.878. Additionally, a total of 227 Ercoline pears collected at different stages of ripening were analysed. For the first time, a predictive model based on 75 markers was used to determine pear ripeness, achieving 100 % accuracy and a Q2 of 0.856. A total of 22 compounds were identified and quantified in the samples and key compounds were determined for each cultivar and ripening stage.