Profiles of Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) Cultivars with a Special Focus on the Influence of Growth Latitude and Weather Conditions

The volatile profiles of three blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum L.) cultivars grown in Finland and their responses to growth latitude and weather conditions were studied over an 8 year period by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas-chromatographic-mass-spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. Monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes were the major classes of volatiles. The cultivar 'Melalahti' presented lower contents of volatiles compared with 'Ola' and 'Mortti', which showed very similar compositions. Higher contents of volatiles were found in berries cultivated at the higher latitude (66 degrees 34' N) than in those from the southern location (60 degrees 23' N). Among the meteorological variables, radiation and temperature during the last month before harvest were negatively linked with the volatile content. Storage time had a negative impact on the amount of blackcurrant volatiles.