Carotenoid Pigmentation Affects the Volatile Composition of Tomato and Watermelon Fruits, As Revealed by Comparative Genetic Analyses

• DOI: 10.1021/jf047927t
• Publication Date: 2007-05-30T12:22:42Z
• Authors: Efraim Lewinsohn; Yaron Sitrit; Einat Bar; Yaniv Azulay; Ayala Meir; Dani Zamir; Yaakov Tadmor
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 2. Zero hunger; Pigmentation; Acyclic Monoterpenes; Carotenoids; Citrullus; 03 medical and health sciences; Solanum lycopersicum; Fruit; Odorants; Monoterpenes; Volatilization; Norisoprenoids

Tomato near-isogenic lines differing in fruit carotenogenesis genes accumulated different aroma volatiles, a strikingly similar fashion as compared to watermelon cultivars color. The major volatile norisoprenoids present lycopene-containing tomatoes and watermelons were noncyclic, such geranial, neral, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2,6-dimethylhept-5-1-al, 2,3-epoxygeranial, (E,E)-pseudoionone, geranyl acetone, farnesyl seemingly derived from lycopene other noncyclic tetraterpenoids. β-Ionone, dihydroactinodiolide, β-cyclocitral prominent both tomato fruits containing β-carotene. α-Ionone was detected only an orange-fleshed mutant that accumulates δ-carotene. A yellow flesh (r) bearing nonfunctional psy1 gene the yellow-fleshed Early Moonbeam, almost devoid of carotenoid pigments, also lacked norisoprenoid derivatives geranial. This study provides evidence, based on comparative genetics, pigmentation patterns have profound effects norisoprene monoterpene compositions these geranial (trans-citral) is apparently vivo. Keywords: (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.); (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb.] Matsum. Nakai); aroma; norisoprenoids; carotenoids; lycopene; citral