Quantitative analysis of flavour volatiles detects differences among closely related traditional cultivars of tomato

Volatile compounds with a major contribution to aroma have been quantitatively determined in four traditional tomato cultivars and one commercial F1 hybrid. One of the traditional cultivars was the most appreciated for flavour and overall acceptability in tests performed using a panel of 30 untrained tasters. The same cultivar showed significantly higher contents of hexanal and cis-3-hexenal volatile compounds, which have been previously reported to be two of the most important contributors to tomato flavour. On the basis of a small number of fruits per cultivar, significant differences among very closely related tomato cultivars can be detected for volatile aromas, thus allowing the use of the determination of volatiles as a possible tool in tomato breeding programs, making even the selection of single plants possible. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.