Volatile compounds during decay of bell peppers inoculated with different fungal pathogens

Bell peppers are susceptible to spoilage during storage and distribution due to food-borne pathogens, which can lead to the formation of various volatile organic compounds. In this study, three major pathogens isolated from bell peppers, Botrytis cinerea , Fusarium lactis , and Fusarium proliferatum , were inoculated into disease-free bell peppers. Volatile compounds in pathogen-inoculated bell peppers were analyzed using solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry during decay. This study investigated the changes in volatile compounds in bell peppers according to the decay index and pathogen species. In the fresh and early decay stages, alcohols and esters such as ethanol, hexan-2-ol, and ethyl acetate were predominant. However, as the decay progressed, their levels decreased, whereas levels of benzenes, hydrocarbons, and terpenes significantly increased. In particular, bell peppers inoculated with Fusarium species produced higher levels of sesquiterpenes than those inoculated with B. cinerea . These results demonstrate that volatile compounds in pathogen-inoculated bell peppers can be formed from both tissue degradation and fungal metabolism during decay.