Aroma volatiles from two fruit varieties of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.)

Abstract

The aroma volatiles from two fruit varieties of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) growing in the Amazon were obtained by simultaneous distillation-extraction and analysed by GC–MS. The major components identified in the aroma concentrate of “hard jackfruit” variety were isopentyl isovalerate (28.4%) and butyl isovalerate (25.6%). The aroma concentrate of “soft jackfruit” was dominated by isopentyl isovalerate (18.3%), butyl acetate (16.5%), ethyl isovalerate (14.4%), butyl isovalerate (12.9%) and 2-methylbutyl acetate (12.0%). These results are compatible with the fruits morphological variation and their distinguished aromas, previously observed.

Introduction

The genus Artocarpus comprises about 50 species of evergreen and deciduous trees belonging to the Moraceae family. The species Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. is assumed to have origin in India or Oceania and it is found as cultivated tree in all tropical countries. The tree is high up to 20 m and their fruits are known as “jaca” (jackfruit). The fruits can be eaten raw, salted as a pickle, cooked or as sweet (Cavalcante, 1991, Prance and Silva, 1975, Vaughan and Geissler, 1997). In Brazil, according the consistence and size of the fruits, the species are known as “jaca-dura” (hard jackfruit) and “jaca-mole” (soft jackfruit). The pulp of the former is harder in comparison with the latter that often is also called butter-jackfruit. On the other hand, the aroma of both fruits is very distinguishable. The hard jackfruit is bigger than the soft jackfruit while the latter is often more sweet and aromatic (Cavalcante, 1991). In the Amazon region it is cultivated only on a domestic scale. The leaves and stem barks have been used to treat anaemia, asthma, dermatosis, diarrhoea, cough and as an expectorant (Balbach & Boarim, 1992). The fruits, seeds and trunk wood have been described as containing chemical compounds with aphrodisiac properties (Ferrao, 1999, Le Cointe, 1947). The variation of carbohydrates and the distribution of free sugar and fatty acid composition of different parts of ripe jackfruit varieties has been reported (Chowdhury et al., 1997, Rahman et al., 1999).

The aim of this work was to analyse the chemical composition of the aromas obtained from the two fruit varieties of A. heterophyllus for the understanding of the plant intraspecific variation and food chemistry contribution. The volatile compounds identified in specimens of jackfruits occurring in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia were previously reported (Rasmussen, 1983, Swords et al., 1978, Wong et al., 1992). Previously, we cannot find any literature citation related to the results presented here.