Volatile Compounds in the Skin and Pulp of Queen Anne's Pocket Melon

The quantitative distribution of volatile compounds in the skin and pulp of Queen Anne's pocket melon [Cucumis melo var. dudaim (L.) Naudin] has been investigated. Volatile compounds were extracted by liquid−liquid microextraction (LLME) using chloroform and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Sixty volatiles, including 20 esters, 15 alcohols, 7 lactones, 7 aldehydes and ketones, 6 sulfur compounds, and 5 C6 compounds, have been identified. Among them, 38 were reported for the first time in pocket melon, 10 of them have been, however, labeled “tentatively identified”. The results showed that the levels of volatiles in skin were significantly higher than those observed in pulp. Eugenol, the major constituent in skin (15.3%), thioether esters, and lactones were thought to contribute significantly to the unique aroma of the pocket melon. Finally, the distribution of lactones was also found to be different in skin and pulp according to their carbon chain length. Keywords: Cucumis melo; pocket melon; aroma; volatile compounds; pulp; skin