Influence of post-harvest storage conditions on volatile organic compounds and deterioration markers of Golden Delicious apple puree

The storage conditions of Golden Delicious (GD) apples influences the aromatic composition of industrially transformed products, here apple puree. The Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) composition reveals positive compounds at high concentrations in purees made from Normal Cold (NC) stored fruits, and loss of positive esters after long term Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage. In parallel, NC storage conditions revealed an increase of the recently discovered deterioration markers, 1-hydroxyoctan-3-one and octane-1,3-diol. After CA storage, the fungal marker 1-hydroxyoctan-3-one concentration drastically fell to values below LOD, suggesting the impact of CA storage on fungal development. This study also evidenced the evolution of glycosidic bound fraction of octane-1,3-diol over the different storage duration analysed puree samples. Finally, the two deterioration markers and 18 selected VOC were employed to develop a prototype of diagnostic model of storage type for unknown GD apple purees. It showed a clear product segmentation that is relevant with agronomical and storage practices. This model may be helpful to discriminate apple quality for professionals from the apple sector. • The aroma profile of apple puree is modified after CA storage (esters concentration decrease). • The fungal deterioration marker 1-hydroxyoctan-3-one is no longer detected in CA • Octane-1,3-diol level significantly decreased after CA storage • Octane-1,3-diol glycosidic bound fraction appeared after CA storage • A prototype of diagnostic model allowed to discriminate apple quality based on storage conditions