CHARACTERIZATION OF VOLATILE COMPOUNDS IN FIVE BLUEBERRY VARIETIES USING PURGE AND TRAP COUPLED TO GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY

The volatile composition of five blueberry varieties from two different regions was analysed by dynamic headspace (purge and trap, P&T) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Under the optimized conditions, the P&T method was successfully validated, showing good linearity, high accuracy, good reproducibility and a low limit of detection. A total of 80 volatiles were identified, including 19 esters, 30 alcohols, 18 aldehydes, 7 ketones and 6 other compounds. Furthermore, a spider web diagram was constructed to compare the flavour profiles of these blueberries, and the obtained results demonstrated that blueberries from different locations have different flavour profiles. Keywords: aroma active compounds, blueberry, GC-MS, P&T, volatile compounds