Not just colors - Carotenoid degradation as a link between pigmentation and aroma in tomato and watermelon fruit

Efraim Lewinsohn*, Yaron Sitrit, Einat Bar, Yaniv Azulay, Mwafaq Ibdah, Ayala Meir, Emanuel Yosef, Dani Zamir, Yaakov Tadmor

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

222 Scopus citations

Abstract

Several lines of evidence indicate that important fruit aroma volatiles are derived from the degradation of carotenoid pigments. One such compound, lycopene, the major pigment in the red varieties of tomato and watermelon, gives rise, to a number of aroma volatiles including geranial, a lemon-scented monoterpene aldehyde. Various tomato and watermelon varieties and transgenic and near-isogenic tomato lines that range in color from yellow through orange to pink and red differ markedly in their carotenoid profiles. These variations are accompanied by differences in the compositions of terpenoid volatiles and hence in their taste.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)407-415
Number of pages9
JournalTrends in Food Science and Technology
Volume16
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2005

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