Maturity discrimination of snake fruit (Salacca edulis Reinw.) cv. Pondoh based on volatiles analysis using an electronic nose device equipped with a sensor array and fingerprint mass spectrometry

GC–olfactometry was used to characterize the specific aroma of a pentane extract of snake fruit (Salacca edulis Reinw cv. Pondoh). Ten compounds, including two carboxylic acids, six methyl esters, an alcohol and a furaneol (2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone), were detected as the most characteristic odorants. Methyl esters exhibited particularly sweet and fruity odour characteristics in snake fruit at more mature stages, whereas carboxylic acids exhibited the sweaty odour that tends to prevent non-native consumers from liking the fruit. A headspace of snake fruit at different stages of maturation was subjected to analysis using two analytical systems an electronic nose equipped with 18 sensors and fingerprint mass spectrometry. Three sensors and five ions derived from esters were chosen as fingerprint parameters to discriminate between maturation levels. Both systems appeared to discriminate efficiently between the fruits at different maturation stages. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.