Decoding the Flavor of Kentucky’s Native Pawpaw Fruit
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Forensic Science
2nd Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
2nd Student Major
Forensic Science
Institution
Eastern Kentucky University
KY House District #
81
KY Senate District #
34
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Dr. Li Li Zyzak, PhD
Department
Chemistry
Abstract
Pawpaw is a tropical-like fruit native to Kentucky, Ohio Valley and East Coast. Its flavor resembles a cross between banana, mango, and pineapple. Most are unfamiliar with pawpaw as it has never been a commercial fruit due to its rapid deterioration upon ripening. However, those who have experienced it are very impressed and it has made its way into dessert flavors such as ice cream and custards. There have been some investigations into the volatiles of pawpaw by conventional headspace analysis; however, little progress has been made on identifying the volatiles responsible for its aroma. Therefore, the aim of this research is to apply Gas Chromatography – Olfactometry (GC-O) to identify the important odor active compounds in pawpaw and then recreate the flavor for year-round enjoyment in applications such as a pawpaw drink.
Over the course of this work, we have identified over twenty aroma important compounds in the pawpaw fruit. In addition, five of these compounds have been identified for the first time in pawpaw fruit. These compounds have a variety of odor characters such as: buttery, creamy, fruity, maple syrup, floral, nutty, and coconut. After identification, we proceeded to the next step, which was quantitation of these important compounds. Our goal is to obtain accurate quantitation of these important aroma compounds so that we can “recreate” pawpaw aroma by mixing these compounds at the right concentrations. These flavor mixes that we create will be compared to the true pawpaw aroma to validate our studies. We utilized both solvent extraction and solid phase microextraction – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry techniques for our quantitation work. The GC-O technique has enabled us to identify the most important aroma active compounds in pawpaw. Without this technique, we would have missed many of the main compounds contributing to the characteristic flavor or pawpaw.
Decoding the Flavor of Kentucky’s Native Pawpaw Fruit
Pawpaw is a tropical-like fruit native to Kentucky, Ohio Valley and East Coast. Its flavor resembles a cross between banana, mango, and pineapple. Most are unfamiliar with pawpaw as it has never been a commercial fruit due to its rapid deterioration upon ripening. However, those who have experienced it are very impressed and it has made its way into dessert flavors such as ice cream and custards. There have been some investigations into the volatiles of pawpaw by conventional headspace analysis; however, little progress has been made on identifying the volatiles responsible for its aroma. Therefore, the aim of this research is to apply Gas Chromatography – Olfactometry (GC-O) to identify the important odor active compounds in pawpaw and then recreate the flavor for year-round enjoyment in applications such as a pawpaw drink.
Over the course of this work, we have identified over twenty aroma important compounds in the pawpaw fruit. In addition, five of these compounds have been identified for the first time in pawpaw fruit. These compounds have a variety of odor characters such as: buttery, creamy, fruity, maple syrup, floral, nutty, and coconut. After identification, we proceeded to the next step, which was quantitation of these important compounds. Our goal is to obtain accurate quantitation of these important aroma compounds so that we can “recreate” pawpaw aroma by mixing these compounds at the right concentrations. These flavor mixes that we create will be compared to the true pawpaw aroma to validate our studies. We utilized both solvent extraction and solid phase microextraction – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry techniques for our quantitation work. The GC-O technique has enabled us to identify the most important aroma active compounds in pawpaw. Without this technique, we would have missed many of the main compounds contributing to the characteristic flavor or pawpaw.